Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez in Beijing on Thursday.
Han said that under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, the all-weather strategic partnership between China and Venezuela has continuously reached new levels.
China firmly supports the Venezuelan government and people in pursuing a development path suited to their national conditions, and is willing to work with Venezuela to deliver on the common understandings between the two heads of state, consolidate and develop the traditional friendship, and continuously improve bilateral cooperation, Han added.
Noting that China is playing a key role in maintaining world peace and development under the current international situation, Rodriguez said Venezuela is ready to consolidate and deepen cooperation with China in various fields.
Chinese vice president meets Venezuelan VP
Chinese vice president meets Venezuelan VP
At precisely 07:15 each morning, veteran meteorologist Tsering Dekyi launches a weather balloon from Lhasa Meteorological Station, continuing a ritual that has documented the remarkable transformation of the capital city of southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region over half a century.
For 26 years, Dekyi has maintained this precision-critical routine where even a one-second delay constitutes a professional failure.
"Attention to details is vital. The tiniest error can cause disaster. A mistake of just 0.1 in the data input can have a major impact," she said.
As the balloon rises into sky, it captures atmospheric readings while revealing panoramic views of Lhasa's evolving skyline, where ancient temples now neighbor modern infrastructure.
The daily launches, conducted at optimal atmospheric conditions, showcase how this ancient city harmonizes heritage with development. Through the lens of balloon-mounted cameras, prayer-flag adorned rooftops give way to sprawling new residential districts and the gleaming Lhasa-Nyingchi railway terminus.
Meteorological balloons have risen from this station since the 1970s, their flight paths unintentionally chronicling urban expansion. Where observers once saw mostly farmland, they now document a regional hub with highways radiating across the plateau and solar farms powering growth.
As Dekyi watches another balloon shrink to a dot, its sensors will transmit real-time updates about the rarefied air above one of Asia's fastest-transforming cities, where tradition and progress share the same horizon.
Weather balloons witness Lhasa's remarkable transformation
