The trade volume between China and the five countries in Northeast Asia -- Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Mongolia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea -- mounted to 901.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2024, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) reported on Tuesday.
Speaking at a press briefing, Yan Dong, China's Vice Minister of Commerce, pointed out that China's economic and trade exchanges with the five Northeast Asian countries continued to deepen over the last year, with the nation's trade with those countries rising by 1.6 percent year on year and accounting for nearly 15 percent of China's total foreign trade.
He also noted that China continued to maintain its position as the largest trading partner of the five countries in Northeast Asia.
"Investment cooperation continues to deepen. In 2024, the two-way investment between China and the five countries in Northeast Asia exceeded seven billion U.S. dollars. The areas of investment cooperation have gradually expanded to new fields, such as the digital economy, green development, advanced manufacturing, and modern services. Regional cooperation is making solid progress. In recent years, along with the steady advancement in the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has been implemented more deeply, and various regional economic and trade mechanisms have achieved positive results," said Yan.
China's trade with Northeast Asian countries tops 900 bln USD in 2024
Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.
In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.
Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.
The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.
Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.
Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.
He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.
He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.
Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation
