Shanghai, September 5 (RHC)-- Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday with the aim of strengthening strategic relations between Venezuela and China.  The Bolivarian leader was received by Cai Wei, the director of Latin America of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, and Guiseppe Yoffreda, the Venezuelan ambassador to China.

As part of her visit, Rodriguez is expected to hold several meetings with senior officials from China, a country with which Venezuela has maintained diplomatic relations for 49 years.   Since 2001, these relations were strengthened with the installation of the High Level Mixed Commission, which is a mechanism to strengthen collaboration in areas of common interest under the principles of mutual respect and shared development.

Under the leadership of presidents Xi Jinping and Nicolas Maduro, China and Venezuela have managed to materialize cooperation projects in areas related to energy, industry, public works, housing, agriculture, science and technology, transportation, culture, trade, security, and defense.

Besides keeping close cooperative relations, Venezuela and China maintain similar positions in international forums and institutions.  These two nations, for example, are part of the Group of Defenders of the United Nations Charter, which is also made up of Angola, Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Eritrea, Palestine, Russia, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Nicaragua, Iran, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Laos, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, and Zimbabwe.