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NewsTranscript
00:00the
00:29Citizen Nicolás Maduro Moro's constitutional president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
00:42Good afternoon.
00:59To all the businessmen and women, Chinese and from all over the world, who have took
01:12part of this successful day of the World Forum on Special Economic Zone Development, Ambassador
01:28Lan Hu, fellow maid, friend Tao Jitao, I thank you for your words, your boosting of
01:49and all of the academics and guests here, vice presidents of governments, ministers,
02:04governors here present, Executive Vice President Celso Rodriguez.
02:16We are taking the right step in the right way.
02:25Commander Chávez always reminded us, there is my wife Celia Flores, could you remember
02:35how 30 years ago, around these days, these times, that young revolutionary commander
02:46in the streets always reminded us a way of thinking of great General Perón and told
03:00us we'd rather walk 10 steps in the right path towards the goal than taking 1,000 steps
03:17to nowhere.
03:21He got that wisdom from General Perón and he didn't stop repeating it because in 1994
03:34he traveled to Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and Ambassador Lan, dear friend Tao, a day
03:49like this precisely was December 13, 1994.
04:06He was released from prison on March 26 that year, and a day like this, around this hour,
04:19this time, he landed in José Martí Airport in Havana, and when he went downstairs, next
04:33to the stairs, revolutionary commander of Latin America, Fidel Castro, was waiting for him.
04:42Today we are commemorating the 30 years of the great hug of those two giants that met
04:50in a day like this 30 years ago to unite the destinies of our peoples, the people of Cuba
04:58and Venezuela forever.
05:02Tomorrow we are going to commemorate the 20 years, exactly the 20 years of the foundation
05:13here in Latin America, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of our America, Fidel and
05:24Chávez, Cuba, Venezuela, united in every circumstance.
05:35So what a glorious times we have lived since we decided to unite our destinies, since we
05:49decided to move along together in building the 21st century.
05:59Then in the year 1999, Commander Chávez came to the same room, Ayacucho Room, it's called,
06:12in commemoration of the great battle that freed the whole South America, that we commemorated
06:21last Monday, the 200 years of the great battle of Ayacucho that ended the colonial imperial
06:31domination of Spain over South America, with the armies built here in Venezuela in this
06:39region by Bolivar, armies with a popular character, as 100 years later Mao Zedong built
06:53to found the Republic on October 1st, 1949 in Beijing.
07:04Once Commander Chávez took office, one of the first things he did was planning a travel
07:11to China.
07:14There were some who called him, not going to reveal the names, don't insist, I won't
07:24say it, and he was told, Chávez, what are you going to do with China?
07:30And he said, I'm going to meet the millenary history of China and unite Venezuela and China.
07:43That was exactly 25 years ago.
07:54So we come from ways, some far away, Bolivar, Sucre, Mao, and other ways, more contemporaneous,
08:12that have allowed us to take the right path.
08:19I always say to the Venezuelan youth, the workers of Venezuela, farmers, women, the
08:27people of Venezuela, I always tell them, we are on the right side of history.
08:36Never doubt it, because we are on the right of the transcendental values of a new humanity,
08:44a new civilization, a new modernity.
08:56And it's an issue that I've been insisting on a lot for philosophers, precisely philosophers
09:05of the people in every corner, every neighborhood.
09:12Those philosophers that in days like this, Friday, have great moments in their reflections.
09:21I know that Venezuela belongs to those who are building a new humanity in a world of
09:35peace, of respect.
09:37As my older brother says, I have an older brother who lives in Beijing.
09:44He's called Xi Jinping.
09:53As our older brother says, built from humanity, a community of shared destiny.
10:04I think it's a happy saying that encompasses the dreams of humanity.
10:12And I ask our people, which is intelligent and educated, and also I ask to the Chinese
10:21people that we love and admire a lot, from ever.
10:33We have always admired the Chinese people.
10:35And I ask the Chinese and Venezuelan people the same question.
10:40What is the future we want for humanity?
10:46A future where we are slaves of the owners of the world?
10:54Do we want to be slaves?
10:56A future where our countries are dominated as colonies?
11:07A future where a single command, and if you don't comply, then bombs fall, missiles fall.
11:15A future of war.
11:17What's the future humanity wants?
11:20I'm sure about the answer.
11:24The entire humanity of the 21st century today wants a future of peace with a right to development,
11:32freedom, independence, and respect among the countries and governments of the world where
11:40international law prevails, where international law prevails truly and not that ridiculous
11:53theater that has become the United Nations, that in the face of the genocide, the murder
12:02of children and women in Gaza, they make silence cowards and accomplices.
12:18But also we say that that right to the future, we have earned it, and no one is going to
12:26take it away from us.
12:28We have the right to keep moving forward, to keep walking that path of independence.
12:42It's another great issue we address a lot in Venezuela, independence.
12:51It's an issue we carry in our blood, in our genes, all of the Venezuelan people, except
13:02for some cases, but most Venezuelans have the virtue of being independent people, and
13:18they want to build their own model.
13:22The issue of independence is very important.
13:25Yesterday, I inaugurated the powerful and new National University of Sciences, named
13:36after one of the scientists of humanity of the 20th century, Humberto Fernandez Morales,
13:46and we were talking about the independence of this century, which is mostly educative.
13:56The independence of the conscience of the people is cultural, but it's full exercise,
14:06scientific and technological.
14:11Today, who is at the forefront of science and technology in all aspects of humanity
14:18will prevail and exist.
14:25That is why we see threats that come from what is called the technological empire.
14:35There's a technological empire that, through several tools, mostly artificial intelligence,
14:46wants to control all of the media, economy, and all of the ways to influence policy, finances,
15:02in the world.
15:04So yesterday, we were talking about the scientific and technological independence, cultural independence,
15:10and educational independence.
15:15Before yesterday, celebrating the 200 years of the Battle of Ayacucho, we highlighted
15:26the need to consolidate political independence, territorial independence, and the permanent
15:34exercise of national sovereignty above all regions of our beloved Republic of Venezuela.
15:45Political independence, military independence, the independence of our sovereignty, territorial
15:55independence, the scientific, educational, cultural independence, and this week that
16:06has been so intense and filled full of work, we need to close this world forum that is
16:17taking place in Latin America and the Caribbean for the first time to talk about the plans
16:24and steps that need to be taken to achieve independence, economic and productive, of
16:34the Venezuelan model for the 21st century.
16:40We need to decolonize Venezuela in all aspects of society, and it has been proven Venezuela
16:52was subjected to over 930 economic criminal sanctions that had a devastating impact in
17:08national income, in the rights of the people to have access to their economic life, on
17:18their daily life, the social rights of the people.
17:26Studies assure that during 2018-19, Venezuela lost 99% of its income.
17:41It was an economic catastrophe as powerful in its destructive capacity as any shelling
18:04to the Gaza people.
18:12It was a rainfall of missiles.
18:15We had a fall of 30% of the GDP by then.
18:22We had an inflation that reached 344,000%.
18:32I don't know if this has translation to Mandarin, an annual inflation of 344,000%, scarcity
18:49of products of 80%, and we as warriors that we are, we said no one is going to give up
19:00in Venezuela, we'll get out of this and we will face this, and we did it with our own
19:12economic thinking, looking for our own models and the best advisors of the world, conforming
19:28teams that allowed to quickly boost the development of 18 economic engines, well-defined, that
19:42worked simultaneously to solve the catastrophic problems that all the sectors of economy had
19:53by then, lack of capital, lack of raw material, lack of parts for machines, domestic market
20:12down, and foreign market forbidden.
20:25Those who analyze from a traditional point of view with certain rational criteria probably
20:35would have reached the worst conclusions, but the issue is that we are heirs of that
20:49giant I have here in my back, the greatest ever born in American lands, a liberator of
20:58a whole continent, Simon Bolivar.
21:03At this time he was called the man of difficulties, and we then assumed his name, the people of
21:16difficulties, and step by step we advanced, we proposed ourselves goals of social protection,
21:30grantee food supply for the people, we created a program for that, we attended every event
21:44and ensured health care and education for every sector of the population, we decided
21:55to generate a protection system through bonuses for vulnerable sectors of society.
22:03In the end we designed an integral economic and social agenda and also moral and political
22:12agenda because in the worst circumstances we wanted to help the people that was ready
22:25to fight for its homeland, to avoid that happened, what is happening in Syria, they were going
22:35to destroy our country and turn it into a colony after so many centuries and battles.
22:45Then when the pandemic arrived in 2020, which was the worst moment of all, we had the support
22:56of China, I always want to thank President Xi Jinping and the People's Republic of China
23:05for its decisive support provided to our country to face the period of the COVID-19 pandemic
23:17successfully as we did.
23:23And step by step we recovered every productive motor.
23:32Since oil became the main income source in 1988 approximately, Venezuela had been for
23:42over a century importing 80-85% of its food.
23:53It was easier to buy than produce.
23:57We were little by little activating the productive forces in the farms, liberating productive
24:14forces in the farms, and today, at the end of this year, almost like an economic miracle,
24:26we might say a great achievement of all the productive sectors, Venezuela has 100% of
24:35supply thanks to the work in the Venezuelan land of the farmers.
24:46We have recovered practically all of the economic motors.
24:53The industrial sector, Venezuela for its size has, I think it has a great industrial
25:07park, public and also private.
25:15It has good technology, although we need to upgrade it in comparison with neighboring
25:24countries.
25:25In some aspects we have better technology than Colombia or Brazil.
25:31Don't be jealous with us Brazilians and Colombians.
25:38It had barely 10% of the industrial sector this year.
25:46The average of work of the industrial apparatus is over 45% and for 2025 is expected to reach
25:5860% and of course towards that 100% which will allow us to sustain the supply chain
26:13with quality products and accelerate a process of import to generate foreign currency for
26:22our country.
26:25We have had great levels of economic growth.
26:31In 2022 we had a great growth, 15.5% GDP.
26:39Last year we had 5.5% and this year, 2024, the growth is going to be over 9% of the GDP.
26:56And I can say that the economy is growing in real terms, the economy that produces goods
27:07and services and also wealth.
27:13I can also say that growth tendencies towards 2025, 2027, 2028 are very good because levels
27:25of investment, national and international, are granted and are growing for the development
27:35of the economy.
27:45And Venezuela, that has been a country with 110 years of dependency from importing oil,
27:57has now an oil industry which is organizing and growing.
28:06I have proposed that our model, here is the head of the economy, I appointed her vice
28:15president.
28:16We have several ministers of the economy, loyal from fish and the president of the international
28:30center and minister of industries, minister of agriculture, minister of telecommunications,
28:40vice president.
28:43I have proposed that we have to build and consolidate, why you say my dear friend, consolidate
28:54an economy that is free from oil dependency, but also that develops oil industry and gas
29:06industry and also a powerful development of petrochemical industry.
29:16We are focused on developing national petrochemical industry with new investments to focus there
29:27and complementary, but the damages generated with missiles of the criminal sanctions between
29:412017, 18 and 19, we have learned the lesson and we can say to the world that Venezuela
29:51is an example of how defeating criminal measures of sanction and blockade, we have a move done
30:03and today Venezuela is ready to keep working, growing, producing and improving social and
30:10economic life and incorporate to the world.
30:21There is another element that you might probably know, looking for balance of an economy that
30:34has even experienced in the last three months overwhelming of inner trade.
30:46Venezuela has an inner trade that is today overwhelmed, consummism of an exacerbated
31:02trade activity in all cities and towns of Venezuela.
31:10There's still track to go for that new model to be drawn and consolidated better.
31:22We have learned from the great power that is China.
31:29Today all of the economists and business people and politicians of the world are forced
31:41to understand the historic phenomenon of the great power that has become China, who says
31:50the opposite is lying, and China built its own model with Chinese peculiarities, taking
32:07advantage of the historic wisdom of Confucius and beyond, and building a powerful identity
32:17culture and a powerful educational system.
32:21The vice president says, and I saw it with my own eyes when I visited Shenzhen, how a
32:30community of fishermen with 30,000 inhabitants in the 80s, today almost 40 years after, is
32:47one of the most important cities of the world.
32:52China is one.
32:56China from the most important cities of the world in GDP.
33:03China has nine at the forefront.
33:07Of course, we have to study their experience.
33:11We thank how you share your experience, your knowledge, and you prove that new superpowers
33:20have emerged in the world which have no imperial or colonial character.
33:28I heard this for the first time from Chavez when I was his foreign minister in one of
33:35the many visits we carried out to China, and he said what I will repeat today.
33:46In Asia, from China, is emerging a great powerhouse which is not imperialist, is not colonialist,
33:59and truly wants cooperation and development of humanity.
34:06I don't know if before Chavez another Latin American leader discovered this or said it,
34:16but Chavez said it, and he was right.
34:22It's a prophetic word, and I'm happy, I'm very happy to have brothers and sisters with
34:36so much power in the world and turn into reality all of these dreams we have been completing
34:51as an equation, the motors of economic development, social balance, economic balance, the right
35:09policies to boost investment.
35:17We have built a triangle of new institutionality that I would like to show corresponding to
35:30the plans for the future.
35:35In the first place, we created the International Center of Productive Investment to afford
35:46coherence and stability and strength to the necessary investments that our country receives
35:57for its development.
36:01Then by debating in the National Assembly and popular consultation, we created the law
36:11of special economic zones, and we took the first step to create the first five special
36:21economic zones, and now we have created a powerful agency for promoting exports to take
36:36the final step to build the exporting character of the new Venezuelan economy.
36:45It's our purpose, and it's a marvelous triangle.
36:49We have created special economic zones inspired in China, in Tundong District, in Shenzhen,
36:59and many others.
37:02Luckily, we have a generation of great professionals headed by the Vice President herself who have
37:12studied and acquired knowledge of the processes you have lived.
37:19We have created the economic zone of Paraguay of Falcon.
37:24I have studied and known and knew the project elaborated by my friend Juan Nguyen who built
37:40the entire project.
37:44Here is the governor, Victor Clark, an enthusiastic man who were there in China meeting in a direct
37:52way.
37:53Today, I think that the special economic zone of Paraguay is promising and is at the forefront
38:04of developing special economic zones.
38:10We have also created the special economic zone of La Guaira that has two important states.
38:21Its governor, Alejandro Duran, is here.
38:24They took important steps in development and reception of investments.
38:31We have created the special economic zone of Aragua, a military zone in which we have
38:37to continue to work.
38:40We have created the special economic zone of Nueva Esparta, which has, as you all said,
38:47all the possibilities for its integral development.
38:53And we have created an economic zone that is very special for business people of China
39:00and of the world, the special economic zone of La Tortuga Island.
39:09It's a superpower.
39:13I would say, and I say with modesty and in a humble way, that project of the special
39:25economic zone and touristic of La Tortuga today is Latin America of tourism and is open
39:42for its development.
39:45We have elaborated that project entirely, and I am naming, I am appointing as a supreme
39:57authority of the economic zone of La Tortuga, our dear Ali Padron, former minister of tourism,
40:08to take charge of this.
40:13He knows it very well.
40:16He was part of the architecture of this project.
40:21He has rested enough.
40:25How we need to boost a new model, I've talked with Minister Leticia and the vice president,
40:33the minister of industry, as director and president of the Center of Investments, knows
40:41very well the model to be implemented in La Tortuga Island.
40:49We have worked a lot on this issue.
40:54This is the project that excites me the most and motivates me the most for the integral
41:02development of our country.
41:05I think that the proposals, the debates that have arised, the business options in this
41:17world forum of development are ambitious.
41:24We need to know how to combine dreams, ideals, utopia, the sacred fire that moves us within
41:40with the practical capacity of making business, the practical capacity of reaching agreements,
41:52the capacity of signing contracts, and carry out the work.
41:58There has to be entire coherence between thinking, word, commitment, the action, and the results.
42:15Coherence, efficiency, and relentless action.
42:23That is why I reiterate, brothers and sisters, fellow mates, business people from China,
42:32Venezuela, and the world, I reiterate, Venezuela has found its path.
42:39No one is going to take us away from it.
42:42We are on the right side of history, and we have the friends that we have never had
42:47in our history, and with a lot of love, I say congratulations, and I close this World
42:59Forum of Development of Economic Zones.
43:04Long live for the eternal friendship of China and Venezuela.
43:09Thank you very much.
43:10Ladies and gentlemen, the act has finished, and that is the closure of the 25th-
43:39�