Venezuela to import 181 mln USD worth of Chinese auto parts

The Venezuelan government has reached a deal with the Chinese Fund to import 181 million U.S. dollars worth of automobile parts to supply the country's transport sector.

At a press conference Wednesday, Land Transport Minister Haiman El Troudi said the agreement would provide more than half a million car batteries and other parts.

The deal comes atop a 400-million-dollar plan which has been earmarked by the Venezuelan government to allow private companies to import raw materials from China to boost national production.

Among the companies that will benefit from the measures, Firestone, Good Year and Pirelli will receive some 284 million dollars.

In the next few days, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will preside over the second delivery of a fleet of 300 Chinese-made Yutong buses to bolster the public transit system, the minister said.

As part of a government push to improve public transport services, some 40,000 bus drivers and transit workers are expected to be contracted, with 6,000 hired so far, said El Troudi.

Besides, Venezuela is also in talks with private-sector business leaders in China to build an assembly plant in Venezuela for ambulances, patrol cars and vehicles designed for use in the country's rural areas. Endi