CARACAS: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is on a state visit to China, where he is seeking Beijing’s support to join the recently expanded BRICS group of emerging economies. The BRICS bloc, consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, agreed at their annual summit last month to admit six new full members.
In an interview with the Chinese state news agency Xinhua, President Maduro expressed his goal of securing “the entry of Venezuela into BRICS, with the support of China and all member countries.” Maduro emphasized that China’s backing could play a crucial role in facilitating the accession of “a country with the largest oil reserves in the world.”
Maduro stated, “The enlarged BRICS could be defined as the great engine for the acceleration of the birth of a new world, a world of cooperation where the global south has the leading voice.” He also praised the BRICS nations’ role in advancing the de-dollarization of the world and the establishment of a new international financial system and a more equitable economic order.
Venezuelan President’s Visit to China
President Maduro’s visit to China, which began on Friday and is expected to extend until Thursday, marks his first state visit to the country since 2018. China holds the position of Venezuela’s primary creditor and maintains close ties with the diplomatically isolated and economically challenged socialist nation.
China sees the expansion of the BRICS group from January 1 as a means to counterbalance multinational organizations that it perceives as dominated by the United States and other Western powers.
President Maduro’s visit to China coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s absence from a summit of the G20 major economies in India, demonstrating the significance of this diplomatic engagement between the two nations.
