Top Chinese legislator meets Venezuelan president

BEIJING - Top Chinese legislator Zhang Dejiang met with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Thursday.

President Xi Jinping and President Maduro reached an important consensus Wednesday on deepening their countries' bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership, as well as improving cooperation between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as a whole, Zhang said.

Zhang, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), said the NPC attaches high importance to developing friendship with the Venezuelan National Assembly.

He called on the two sides to implement the important consensus between the two heads of state, enhance exchanges on governance experience, and provide a lawful and favorable environment for pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

While serving as president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, President Maduro made great contributions to exchanges and cooperation between the two countries' legislatures, said Zhang.

Maduro said Venezuela is committed to pushing forward the Venezuela-China comprehensive strategic partnership and CELAC-China cooperation. The country is willing to enhance friendly exchanges between the two countries' legislatures, he said.

Together with Xi, Maduro attended the opening ceremony of the first ministerial meeting of the Forum of China and CELAC Thursday.