International

President Maduro highlights strengthening of relations with China

Photo: @PresidencialVen

September 19 |

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro described his recent tour of China on Monday as historic, intense, extensive and productive, while highlighting the strengthening of relations between the two countries, during the broadcast of the Con Maduro Más program.

The president indicated that during his visit, he and the Venezuelan delegation that accompanied him traveled 24,000 kilometers during seven days.

“We went with a well-established plan. We were there for seven days, fulfilling a plan and attending to the very special invitation to make a state visit to China, which President Xi Jinping made to me”, he said.

The President explained that the visit to the Asian country was constitutionally authorized by the National Assembly, a fact that was used by the right wing based in Miami, United States, to speak ill of the Venezuelan government.

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During his program, the President referred to the value of the work team that accompanied him, as well as the twinning agreement between the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, the second largest in the world, and the Venezuelan state of La Guaira.

“We went to seal deep friendships for the work of the future”, he said, while expressing the great achievements of this Chinese region.

Likewise, he commented that he decided to create an office of Economic and Commercial Development of Venezuela in Shanghai and to install an office of Development and Relations of the Venezuelan Petroleum Company (PDVSA) in that Chinese region, to work on the projects, together with the Venezuelan Consulate in Shanghai.

“We must prepare to make the relationship a twinning of Shanghai investors in Venezuela, of importers from Shanghai for Carabobo”, he indicated.

President Xi Jinping also expressed his admiration for the heroic struggle of the Venezuelan people and told me: “Venezuela is not alone, it has China by its side”, said the president.

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In this sense, the governor of Carabobo, Rafael Lacava, and the president of Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (Pdvsa), Pedro Tellechea, exchanged on future development projects for Venezuelans together with China.

The Venezuelan leader acknowledged that in the context of the G-77 and China Summit in Havana, the support for the nation and the Cuban Revolution was demonstrated, he also commented on the meetings with counterparts from different nations and heads of different delegations.

In this regard, he highlighted the exchange with the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) António Guterres, to whom he requested support to demand that the United States lift all actions against Venezuela.

He also met with the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Mexico, Alicia Bárcena, with whom he shared future projects between both Latin American nations, and with the President of Angola, João Lourenço, as well as the President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, and the President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, with whom he held talks of interest.

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International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.