Venezuela has increased crude shipments to China by about 30 percent this year to 600,000 barrels per day (bpd), President Hugo Chavez said.

China has become a major partner of Chavez's socialist government, supplying billions of dollars in credits, some of which are being paid back with oil from the South American OPEC member.

"Two years ago, Venezuela was not sending a drop of oil to China," Chavez said in a speech late on Friday.

"Today, we are reaching 600,000 barrels per day of crude to China and within two years we should be at a million."

At the start of the year, Venezuela had said it was sending 460,000 bpd to China. As well as paying off loans, the shipments are in line with Venezuela's policy of trying to diversify away from its main export market, the United States.