Why the United States is taking aim at China as crisis engulfs Venezuela
- Washington accuses Beijing of propping up a dictator in its traditional backyard, concerns that raise risks for Chinese investors, observers say
- Research shows China has stepped up its investments and support for Venezuela even as other countries have tried to pull out
As tens of thousands of anti-government protesters clashed with security forces on the streets of Venezuela this week, the pressure was not only on the regime of embattled authoritarian leader Nicolas Maduro.
Further north in Washington, the administration of US President Donald Trump was taking aim at China, Maduro’s biggest backer and an increasingly important player in Latin America, a region the United States has long seen as its backyard.
Washington has recognised opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president but despite the support on the street Guaidó has not been able to unseat Maduro, who has been in power since his predecessor Hugo Chavez died in 2013.
China is easily the regime’s biggest backer, supplying weapons and loans to Venezuela as many other investors have pulled out.
But senior officials and military chiefs in the United States claim that that support amounts to propping up a dictator. They are subjecting Chinese investments and ambitions in the region to even tighter scrutiny – attention that analysts say Beijing should be wary of exacerbating.