Interesting that I read elsewhere that most Venezuelan oil goes to China due to the sanctions. Would be nice to see them put a carrier group down there to guard their shipments...
China doesn’t have the infrastructure or logistics to wage a far from home operation against a similar power country (let alone the USA). They might get there in a decade or two, but right now there isn’t much they can do besides provide material support.
Their whole move to EVs is more about national security as it is about environment. Not having to get into wars about oil because you don’t need so much is it’s own freedom.
I guess this will show what "all-weather" is supposed to mean. It doesn't seem to include any military support and at least others are sceptical with respect to the current situations as well:
> Interesting that I read elsewhere that most Venezuelan oil goes to China due to the sanctions.
It's possible China has built out its infrastructure in the past 5 years and can process this oil now, but in the 2010s the more common practice was for the Venezuelans to sell the oil to a Chinese intermediary that would transport it on a tanker to the Gulf Coast, where the American refineries capable of processing Venezuelan sour crude are located.
> Would be nice to see them put a carrier group down there to guard their shipments...
This would be a 4D chess move right off the edge of the game board and into a latrine.
China doesn't want to get involved in an oil war. It doesn't want to send its limited blue-water capabilities into America's backyard to get painted. It doesn't want to deal with oil supply chains against America's nuclear-powered fleet. And it doesn't want to risk Trump popping an aneurysm and disabling their ships, an attack to which all retaliation options carry material risks of nuclear escalation (in a way bombing boats on the other side of the world does not), and which would mean trashing China's and the global economy as the trade war turns blockade.
Whoever replaces Maduro will still be corrupt.
Americans think they are fighting the good fight but it will turn out like Iraq: the spice will flow and the Chinese know it.
Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.
seanmcdirmid|2 months ago
Their whole move to EVs is more about national security as it is about environment. Not having to get into wars about oil because you don’t need so much is it’s own freedom.
riku_iki|2 months ago
they can totally do asymmetrical actions:
- deploy submarines which could attack offenders
- rather fast develop large quantity of ocean attack drones (even Ukraine could do it with rather limited industrial capabilities)
xg15|2 months ago
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-02/us-venezuela-global-a...
https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202505/10/content_WS681e8bd6... (chinese state media)
I guess this will show what "all-weather" is supposed to mean. It doesn't seem to include any military support and at least others are sceptical with respect to the current situations as well:
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3335116/china-unlike...
lurk2|2 months ago
It's possible China has built out its infrastructure in the past 5 years and can process this oil now, but in the 2010s the more common practice was for the Venezuelans to sell the oil to a Chinese intermediary that would transport it on a tanker to the Gulf Coast, where the American refineries capable of processing Venezuelan sour crude are located.
JumpCrisscross|2 months ago
This would be a 4D chess move right off the edge of the game board and into a latrine.
China doesn't want to get involved in an oil war. It doesn't want to send its limited blue-water capabilities into America's backyard to get painted. It doesn't want to deal with oil supply chains against America's nuclear-powered fleet. And it doesn't want to risk Trump popping an aneurysm and disabling their ships, an attack to which all retaliation options carry material risks of nuclear escalation (in a way bombing boats on the other side of the world does not), and which would mean trashing China's and the global economy as the trade war turns blockade.
monerozcash|2 months ago
Essentially all of the existing infrastructure in Venezuela was built by Americans, and is crumbling.
While Venezuela has tremendous amounts of oil, most of it is not very easy to extract profitably.
neom|2 months ago
TitaRusell|2 months ago
Never interrupt your enemy when they are making a mistake.
sylos|2 months ago