China could play big role in Venezuela’s ‘reconstruction’, IADB representative says
- Ricardo Hausmann, designated by opposition leader Juan Guaido, was refused a visa by Beijing, leading the lender to cancel a meeting in Chengdu
- He calls for China to establish communication with Guaido, saying there are ‘enormous opportunities’
Ricardo Hausmann, a Harvard professor, was designated as the IADB representative by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido and endorsed by the Washington-headquartered lender less than two weeks ago.
He confirmed that the IADB had decided to call off its general assembly – which was due to be held from Thursday to Sunday in Chengdu, Sichuan province – after his visa application was rejected.
But he called for China to establish communication with Guaido, who has declared himself interim leader, saying it could have opportunities in post-Nicolas Maduro Venezuela, which would be in Beijing’s interest because oil production would increase.
“There are enormous opportunities if we keep our eye on the future, not the past. For example, China needs to assure its energy supplies and Venezuela has very large oil reserves, probably the largest in the world,” Hausmann said.
“But Venezuelan oil production today is less than half of what it was when Maduro took power in 2013, and less than a third of what it was when [Hugo] Chavez took power in 1999. This is not in China’s interest.
