Chinese President Hu Jintao (R) shakes hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias in Beijing, Aug. 24, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)Photo Gallery >>>

Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan (1st L Back) speaks while Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias (3rd L Back) looks on during the closing ceremony of the fifth meeting of the China-Venezuela mixed committee in Beijing, Aug. 24, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)Photo Gallery >>>

    BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- China and Venezuela on Thursday signed eight agreements on a range of issues, including two on expanding energy cooperation, pointing to stronger ties between the two countries.

    In the two agreements, the China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) and the PDVSA, the state-owned Venezuelan energy company, agreed to jointly develop Venezuelan oil fields, according to China's Foreign Ministry.

    Other agreements, involving trade, energy, infrastructure construction and tourism, were signed after Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with visiting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. <<Full Story

Vice premier, Chavez hold talks on China-Venezuela co-op

Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan (2nd R Front) shakes hands with Venezuelan President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias (2nd L Front) while posing for a group photo with participants of the fifth meeting of the China-Venezuela mixed committee in Beijing, Aug. 24, 2006. (Xinhua Photo)Photo Gallery >>>

    BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The fifth meeting of the China-Venezuela mixed committee closed on Thursday in Beijing's Great Hall of the People with speeches from Chinese Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

    Zeng said China and Venezuela had built "a strategic partnership of common development" with both countries understanding and supporting each other on important international issues. Communication had greatly improved and the relationship had developed.

    Since the committee's establishment five years ago, the two nations have done extensive cooperation on energy, agriculture and infrastructure, which promoted bilateral trade and investment by a big margin. <<Full Story

Venezuelan President Chavez arrives in Beijing

    BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of Chinese president Hu Jintao, Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, President of Venezuela, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday night, starting his six-day state visit to China.

    During his stay in Beijing, Hu will hold talks with Chavez, and Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo and Premier Wen Jiabao will meet him respectively, exchanging views on bilateral relations, trade, energy cooperation, and other regional and international issues of common concern, according to the source with Chinese Foreign Ministry.

    A series of agreements of cooperation are also expected to be signed, the source added. <<Full Story