Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is on a state visit to China, asked a reporter from Hong Kong to speak in Mandarin, his mother tongue, instead of using English.

"There is no English interpreter. It's a new world," Maduro told the reporter during a press conference, compelling him to "speak Mandarin."

Hong Kong reporter starts asking Maduro a question in English

Maduro: "Speak Mandarin, there's no English interpreter - it's a new world!" pic.twitter.com/BDZ5lQygTv

— COMBATE |🇵🇷 (@upholdreality) September 14, 2023

President Xi Jinping of China and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro, held a crucial meeting on Wednesday, culminating in the announcement of an "upgrading of China-Venezuela relations" to an "all-weather strategic partnership." This significant development was reported by state media and marks a pivotal moment in the diplomatic ties between the two nations.

On his part, Maduro hailed Venezuela's ties with China, describing the Asian giant as a "non-hegemonic country like those that blackmail, dominate, and attack the peoples of the world."

Maduro's arrival in Beijing followed a tour of several Chinese cities, including Shanghai, and his visit to the southern tech hub of Shenzhen last Friday. His stay in China is expected to last until Thursday, marking his first state visit to the country since 2018.

Headed to meet with China's President, Xi Jinping, on the last visit on his one-week tour, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Beijing earlier on Tuesday.

Last Friday, after landing in Shenzhen, Maduro described his visit as "historic" and underscored that it was aimed at "strengthening cooperation and the construction of a new world order," after China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning hailed Sino-Venezuela ties as "rock solid" noting that the two countries are "comprehensive strategic partners."

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