China vs. US Over Venezuela Election And Oil (From CBS Radio)

It’s a US-China smackdown over Venezuela, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken now asserting opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia won the election over Venezuela’s President since 2013, Nicholas Maduro.

China’s Xi Jinping has a grip on Venezuela and wants his ally, Maduro, to stay in power. Since Venezuela holds more proven crude oil reserves than Saudi Arabia, the reason is clear.  Exit polls showed the opposition coalition defeating Maduro, but China immediately backed the Maduro government-controlled election authority.  China has its claws deep in Venezuela and US policy needs to pay attention. 

I joined John Batchelor and Gordon Chang on CBS Radio Eye on the World for a longer discussion of China’s reach, Russian military operations, and the US strategy for Venezuela.