Earlier this week, the US imposed a full blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers in Venezuelan waters. In addition, Washington has mobilized warships and troops in the region. According to Trump, the US is trying to limit Venezuela’s main sources of income in order to stop terrorism, drug smuggling, and trafficking.
On Wednesday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil spoke by phone with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at his request. Beijing said it opposes “unilateral oppression” and supports the maintenance of territorial sovereignty and national dignity. Wang Yi did not mention the US or Trump in the phone call, although the minister said China opposes this violation of the UN Charter. Asked at a regular briefing on Thursday what role China would play in the ongoing conflict, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Beijing supports Venezuela’s request for an immediate Council meeting. Wang Yi did not comment on any future aid plans for Venezuela.
At the same time, Beijing is making great efforts to cooperate with its most important trading partner, the United States. After a long trade war, Trump and Xi Jinping reached a consensus in October to resolve the problems. Accordingly, when asked at the briefing about relations between Washington and Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson did not make a statement.
According to Tom Harper, a lecturer of international relations at the University of East London, China benefits from cooperation with Venezuela, while America’s dominance in Latin America, where China has been expanding its interests for the past 25 years, is detrimental. Caracas and Beijing have supported a multipolar international order since the rule of Hugo Chavez, which has been widely shared with Beijing’s growing political and economic power. China is one of the largest buyers of Venezuelan crude oil, accounting for 4% of China’s imports. In addition, China has opened credit lines to Venezuela under an oil-for-loans agreement. During his meeting with Xi Jinping in Moscow, Maduro called for further strengthening of trade and energy cooperation between the two countries.
Venezuela’s oil is important to China, which has recently been trying to diversify its natural resources to maintain its leadership in the production of cheap manufacturing and become independent from Middle Eastern oil. Trump’s military threat against Venezuela may be aimed at reducing China’s influence. It is also unclear whether China’s goal is to protect Latin America from the US. China’s ties to South American countries are linked to its political agenda, with China having persuaded El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras in recent years to renounce diplomatic recognition of Taiwan. China is driven by economic interests in the region and has been reluctant to form formal alliances with them. This attitude is likely to complicate relations between China and other countries in the region in times of crisis.
Author: Mariam Sanadze
