Visiting senior legislator Cheng Siwei on Thursday held talks with Roberto Hernandez, vice president of the Congress of the Republic of Venezuela, to strengthen bilateral relations.

 

Hernandez said that his country has been paying close attention to China's economic development and hoped to strengthen exchanges between the two nations.

 

Cheng, who is vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress (NPC) and president of the China-Latin America Friendship Association, also gave a speech on "Chinese economic development" at Venezuela's foreign ministry.

 

Venezuela is the last leg of Cheng's travel to Latin America, which has already taken him to Jamaica and Cuba.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 12, 2007)