China, Venezuela to expand cooperation on logistics, energy

CARACAS - China and Venezuela on Tuesday agreed to bolster cooperation on logistics and energy at the conclusion of the meeting of the 5th Technical Secretariat of the Venezuela-China High-Level Mixed Committee (CMAN).

Venezuelan Minister for Planning and Knowledge Ricardo Menendez held the meeting with the Chinese delegation led by Wu Hongliang, secretary of the CMAN, and Zhao Bentang, Chinese ambassador to Venezuela.

At the closing ceremony, Menendez said 5,000 vans and 1,900 heavy refrigerated trucks from China will be added to the distribution fleet under a state program to deal with the shortage of food and medicine supply.

Menendez expressed gratitude to the Chinese side, saying Venezuela was deeply satisfied with the results of the meeting, which also discussed Venezuela's current pharmaceutical capacity.

Wu said China is paying close attention to its cooperation with Venezuela and other Latin American countries.

Venezuela and China are making efforts to transform their economies and boost growth, Wu said.

"Through these talks, we have reached agreements and recognized the important role of CMAN," he said, adding the two sides will promote bilateral strategic partnership.

The two-day meeting also served as a preparatory meeting for the 15th gathering of the Venezuela-China High-Level Mixed Committee scheduled for late 2016.