A two-day meeting under the framework of the Sino-Venezuelan Senior Mixed Committee was kicked off in Caracas Monday to boost bilateral cooperation.

A delegation of around 200 Chinese officials led by the chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, Zhang Ping, met with all the Venezuelan ministers at the meeting.

During the meeting, both delegations will discuss bilateral issues and cooperation in economy, agriculture, financing, culture, energy, mining and space technology.

Zhang stressed the mutual trust between both countries and mentioned the success of bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy, agriculture and science.

Zhang also said that despite the great distance between both nations, their ties have enjoyed a good development particularly after the two countries established their strategic partnership for common development in 2001.

The Mixed Committee was an important mechanism to improve bilateral communication and coordination in different sectors, Zhang said.

For his part, Venezuelan Planning and Development Minister Jorge Giordani said the Venezuelan government was ready to consolidate mechanisms to mitigate the effects of the economic crisis, without affecting cooperation activities between both countries.

Venezuela has aspired to be one of the main oil suppliers to China, where it will build refineries. China for its part will participate in the exploration of the Orinoco oil strip, one of the largest oil reserves in the world, Giordani said.

According to Giordani, during the first quarter of 2009, trade between both countries was affected by the crisis, but since June, market activity has increased and ended the year with an important recovery.

On Tuesday, the Chinese delegation will meet with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Miraflores Palace.