President Xi Jinping and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro clap after Xi was awarded the Order of the Liberator in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas on Sunday. [Photo/Reuters]

CARACAS -- China and Venezuela issued a joint declaration in Caracas on Monday on upgrading bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

The declaration is a major achievement of Chinese President Xi Jinping's two-day visit to Venezuela, which came as this year China and the Latin American country mark the four decades of their diplomatic ties.

In 2001, China and Venezuela forged a strategic partnership for common development, initiating a period of rapid and fruitful development of bilateral relations. To provide a guideline for future cooperation, they pledge to upgrade their partnership to a comprehensive strategic one.

According to the joint declaration, the two sides will enhance political dialogues and high level exchanges.

State leaders of the two countries will maintain frequent communication, timely exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of common concern so as to expand and increase consensus.

The two sides are willing to increase exchanges between their governments, legislatures, political parties and local governments in an effort to strengthen exchanges of experiences and learn from each other.

Leaders of the two countries, in the declaration, reiterate the importance of observing the basic principles of international law, including the respect of sovereignty and territorial integrity and non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs.

They oppose any country or organization's unilateral act in an attempt to undermine the independence or political and social stability of the two countries, and uphold peaceful means in settling disputes as the guiding principle of handling state-to-state relations.

In the declaration, Venezuela reaffirms its firm adherence to the one-China policy and support to the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations as well as China's peaceful reunification.

Meanwhile, China understands and respects Venezuela's adoption of its foreign policy of independence and self-reliance by inheriting the unfulfilled wish of late liberator Simon Bolivar.

The two sides also agree to further consolidate the China-Venezuela High-Level Joint Commission as an effective mechanism to plan, guide and implement bilateral cooperation.