Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro received a special delegation from his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at Miraflores Palace on Friday. The delegation was headed by diplomat Qiu Xiaoqi, and the meeting took place amidst heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas in recent months, fueled by the inflammatory rhetoric of the Donald Trump administration.
The Venezuelan Presidential Press Office stated that the “high-level” meeting took place “in order to consolidate the new multipolar world order.” Maduro expressed his gratitude to Xi for “his brotherhood, like an older brother, and his powerful message as a leader for the world.”
Maduro was accompanied by the country’s Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yvan Gil. According to Caracas, the presence of this delegation underscores the importance China places on its relationship with Venezuela, “not only as a commercial and energy partner, but also as a fundamental political ally in the region.”
Finally, it was stated that the diplomatic relations, established in 1974 and “elevated to a historic level” by former presidents Hugo Chávez and Jiang Zemin, “constitute a pillar for regional peace and a model of mutual cooperation.”
In recent months, the United States has launched attacks against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean—which have resulted in more than 100 deaths—and has even threatened an invasion of the country, led by President Nicolás Maduro, under the pretext of the fight against drugs.
