Venezuela rapidly expanding ties with China

Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez has forged close relations with Russia, and is wasting time building ties with that other natural ideological partner, China.

Chavez, visiting Beijing this week, said that he expects his country to export 1 million barrels of oil to China by 2012.

He will also ink deals to build three oil refineries in China to refine Venezuelan oil, and to launch the VENESAT-1 communications satellite using a Chinese Long March 3b rocket.

Venezuela will also purchase 24 K-8 fighter-trainer aircraft from Beijing.

AP Photo: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, center, walks out of the airplane after arriving at Beijing Airport...