China–Venezuela relations

Former President Rafael Caldera meeting with Paramount leader Deng Xiaoping in 1981.

Formal diplomatic relations between the Chinese and Venezuelan governments were established in August 1944, with offices opened in Caracas and Nanking, the capital of the Republic of China. After the Communists taking power in 1949, the Venezuelan office was transplanted from Nanking to Taipei, the capital of Taiwan Province. In 1966, the office was upgraded into an embassy.

In 1974, Venezuela ended recognition of the ROC and switched to recognizing the People's Republic of China instead. Before 1999, only one sitting Venezuelan president had visited the PRC: Luis Herrera Campins in 1981.[1] As a result, up until 1999 there had only been 19 formal agreements between China and Venezuela, and only two of these would be ratified by both sides.[4]

The nature of Sino-Venezuelan relations completely changed once Hugo Chávez won the 1998 Venezuelan Presidential elections.

From the outset of his presidency, Hugo Chávez sought to distance himself from the United States and court other allies that could help him find alternative sources of trade, diplomatic and military relations. During the first year of his presidency, he visited China and would accumulate the greatest number of visits to China out of any other Latin-American leader during the same period (1999-2012).[5] While giving a speech at Beijing University, Chávez is reported to have stated that “the Bolivarian Revolution is rooted in the ideology of Communist China’s founder, Mao Zedong”. During that same visit, Chávez also proclaimed that Simon Bolivar was a “soul mate of Mao Zedong”.[6]

While Sino-Venezuelan relations were not strong at the time of Hugo Chávez's 1999 election, by his third term in 2012 the alliance between these socialist regimes were stronger than ever before. In terms of their diplomatic ties, Venezuela became a supporter of China on issues relating to Iran and North Korea; and they also publicly supported the creation of an international currency, which is a position that China favored.[4]

In March 2005, China passed the Anti-Secession Law which prevents Taiwan from declaring independence. Venezuela was one of the few Latin American countries to support China's actions saying that the law is fully in accordance with the basic principles of the UN Charter. The Chávez government also added that Venezuela will stick to the "one-China" principle and support China's efforts in achieving territorial integrity and national reunification.[7] According to Foreign Minister Alí Rodríguez Araque, the adoption of the law will contribute strengthening ties across the Taiwan Straits and also opening a channel for peaceful reunification through direct talks between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.[8]

Chavez has been called a 'strong and vibrant leader' and 'good friend of the Chinese people.'[9]

In March 2013 Hugo Chávez died. In April, a special presidential election was held, and Chávez's vice president, Nicolás Maduro won.[10]

In 2017, the Supreme Tribunal of Venezuela removed power from the elected National Assembly, resulting in a constitutional crisis and protests that year. Maduro called for a rewrite of the constitution, and the Constituent Assembly of Venezuela was elected in 2017, under what many—including Venezuela's chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega[11] and Smartmatic, the company that ran the voting machines[12]—considered irregular voting conditions;[13] the majority of its members were pro-Maduro.[14][15] On 20 May 2018, presidential elections were called prematurely;[16] opposition leaders had been jailed, exiled or forbidden to run, there was no international observation, and tactics were used to suggest voters could lose their jobs or social welfare if they did not vote for Maduro.[17][18] While the majority of nations in the Western world did not recognize the Constituent Assembly election or the validity of Maduro's 2018 reelection,[19][20] and the Canadian,[21][22] Panamanian,[23] and the United States governments sanctioned Maduro,[24] China, Russia and other allies recognized the elections and congratulated Maduro for winning.[25]

In January 2019, the opposition-majority National Assembly declared that Maduro's re-election was invalid and declared its president, Juan Guaidó, to be acting president of the Venezuela. The US, Canada, and most of Western Europe and Latin America (including Brazil, Colombia, Argentina) recognized Guaidó as interim president.[26][27][28]

However, China and Russia have continued to voice support for Maduro and have accused of the US of interfering in Venezuela's domestic affairs amid the ongoing turmoil.[29][30] Iran has also condemned US threats,[31] while a few Latin American countries such as Cuba and Bolivia[26] also continue to back the Maduro administration.[32] On the other hand, the ROC was among the several countries to support Juan Guaidó and the opposition-led National Assembly in its calls to restore democracy. Through its Twitter account, the Foreign Ministry quoted that "Taiwan stands with the forces of freedom" while calling for "the democratic order to be restored" in Venezuela.[33]

In February 2019, China alongside Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for new presidential elections in Venezuela.[34]

During the crisis in Venezuela, China supplied riot-control equipment to Venezuelan authorities combatting the protests in Venezuela.[35] According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, China has also financially assisted Venezuela through its economic crisis.[36]

In 2001, Venezuela was the first Hispanic country to enter a 'strategic development partnership' with China.[37]

From 2003 until 2012 Sino-Venezuelan economic ties grew exponentially stronger. The amount of bilateral trade between China and Venezuela expanded about 24-fold from $742,417,000 in 2003 to $20 billion in 2012. Moreover, during this same time period, Venezuela became China's fourth largest supplier of oil.[4]

In April 2010 China agreed to extend $20 billion in loans to Venezuela.[38]

Venezuela outlined the role of the venture as one which would link Venezuela's oil producing regions and agricultural farming areas.[39] In September 2009 Venezuela announced a new $16bn deal with China to drill for oil in a joint venture with PDVSA to produce 450,000 barrels per day (72,000 m³/d) of extra heavy crude. Hugo Chávez stated that "In addition, there will be a flood of technology into the country, with China going to build drilling platforms, oil rigs, railroads, houses."[40]

In June 2020, Venezuela was one of 53 countries that backed the Hong Kong national security law at the United Nations.[53]

Countries which signed cooperation documents related to the Belt and Road Initiative

Venezuela has expressed public support for China's Belt and Road Initiative. In September 2018 Maduro traveled to China to strengthen bilateral relations through the BRI. The exact details of any deals have yet to be disclosed.[37]

Of the $150 billion the Chinese Development Bank loaned to Latin America in the past 12 years, a third went to Venezuela.[37]

Their military relations also improved under Chávez. During Chávez's administration, China started selling various military products, such as radars and aircraft, and also began performing bilateral military training activities in Venezuela.[1] According to a 2019 report China has sold $615 million in weapons in the past ten years.[52]

As of 2017, Maduro estimates that there are 500,000 Chinese immigrants living in Venezuela, nearly a ten-fold increase since 2000.[37]

• VIT, C.A.
• Iran–Venezuela relations, Russia–Venezuela relations, Cuba–Venezuela relations, North Korea-Venezuela relations, Turkey–Venezuela relations (other allies of Venezuela)
• China–Latin America relations
• Taiwan–Venezuela relations
• Chinese Venezuelans