200,000 Chinese in Venezuela take it as second motherland: Ambassador

CARACAS - Around 200,000 Chinese citizens living in Venezuela have taken the country as their second motherland, said Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Zhao Bentang on Thursday.

Zhao told TV station Telesur that most Chinese citizens now live in the cities of Caracas, Valencia, Barquisimeto and Puerto la Cruz in the South American country.

An exhibition on Beijing was staged in Venezuela on Jan 24. The event, which is held during the Chinese New Year period, includes over 100 photographs as well as videos and interactive games, providing an overall view of Beijing's urban planning, culture and economy.

Zhao hailed the friendship between China and Venezuela, stating that the two countries had built "relations based on interchange and substantial cooperation, which has also deepened cultural and human ties." He also mentioned a new Confucius Institute would soon be launched in Venezuela, where different workshops and Chinese classes will allow Venezuelan students to deepen their interest in China.