People get hyped up about nothing.
Facts are that while Venezuela has huge oil reserves, the vast majority of it is low quality and requires very extensive refining which reduces its profitability.
Secondly, the regime of Venezuela is still intact. Apparently, insiders of the regime sold out Maduro.
True. However as a non-Chinese observer (although familiar with Chinese history, having visited China myself on numerous occasions and knowing many Chinese acquaintances due to my job in the startup sector and past studies etc.), China, if it wants to challenge the US, at least in its own hemisphere and immediate neighborhood, need to change the age old Chinese viewpoint of the world. In other words get more actively involved in areas where allies or potential allies are located. Not everything can be solved by economic cooperation. At one point in time China needs to show the military stick as well.
If China had a history of empire building outside of its own vicinity, this would all be much different.
The Belt and Road project for instance should have had a military character as well and China should have done far more to try to attract non-aligned states, in particular in Asia and Africa, to chose China or at least give China more leeway.
China is far too inactive outside of its own borders given its economic size (second largest economy in the world), population (second largest in the world), size etc.
I don't know if this is due to ethnic differences or the Asian character that China shares with other Asian nations (Japanese, Koreans = inward looking) but it is a strange phenomenon when you compare it to the empire building and widespread historical influence of a few European countries/ethic groups, Middle Eastern peoples (Arabs in particular) and others.
Same can be said about Indians, even to a smaller degree, not only did they barely have any unified strong entity in their history (until the British colonized them and forced them together) but they too were never great empire builders or had much influence outside of trade. In fact their (South Asias) greatest trade ties where with the Arab world (historically) and more recently South East Asia.
Compare that to a tiny island like the UK for instance.
It sends the wrong signal when Maduro gets kidnapped the day after he is meeting with high-ranking Chinese officials.
My two very quick cents, not really related to Venezuela itself, but rather, as I see it, the Chinese inaction in regards to allies or potential allies across the world.
You will probably disagree with me which is your right obviously but this is how I see it as of today at least. Maybe this will change in the future. Personally I would welcome it as such actions, regardless what you think about Maduro and Venezuela, are largely toxic for the international world order or what remains of it.
Also, China should actively look towards changing the current dynamics with its closest kin (Koreans and Japanese) and emphasize the cultural, linguistic, religious and ethnic/ancestral ties and a common East Asian regional cooperation and future. For whatever reasons, China is disliked by both Koreans and Japanese alike and that is most likely not only due to politics (pro-West alignment) alone. Which is strange as it were the Japanese that were murdering fellow Asians and not the other way around.
Could be due to Chinese internal politics (one-party system, strong powerful central regime) which the new Korean and Japanese generations cannot relate to.
Whatever is going on here, that should be solved before China can rise outside of its own sphere.
And yes, there are similar dynamics at play in the Arab and Muslim world that should similarly be solved and which are similarly taken advantage of by outside powers.
www.themoscowtimes.com
. what a pathetic bunch of clowns.
China has lost the Venezuela battle:
