China deal against US hegemony: Chávez

By Jonathan Watts

BEIJING: China and Venezuela, two of the biggest nations on Washington’s worry list, drew closer together on Saturday with the signing of trade agreements that the Venezuelan president called a “Great Wall” against American hegemonism.

A million-barrel a day oil deal and a promise by China to back Venezuela’s bid to join the United Nations Security Council were the main fruits of a week of meetings in Beijing, ending with talks between Hugo Chávez and the Chinese Prime Minister, Wen Jiabao, on Saturday.

Mr Chávez issued a bold statement during his visit to China when he weighed in on the war in Lebanon, saying Israeli leaders should be prosecuted for genocide. “Israel is doing the same thing as Hitler today,” he said. “We give our sympathy to the Arab people and condemn Israel.

The warming of relations reflects a shift in global diplomacy as China seeks energy resources to fuel its economy and Mr Chávez attempts to build alliances with nations threatened by US power, including Iran, Syria and North Korea.

China agreed to increase its imports of Venezuelan oil, refined fuels and a hydrocarbon called Orimulsion from the current 160,000 barrels a day to 500,000 by 2009 and a million by 2016.

This is crucial for China, which is the world’s second largest oil user after the US. From being a net exporter of oil little more than a decade ago, the world’s most populous and fastest growing economy is increasingly dependent on overseas supplies. It uses about 7.4m barrels a day, up half a million from last year.

It has strengthened ties with suppliers Iran and Sudan, and made deals with Canada. Venezuela looks set to become an increasingly important partner. Mr Chávez underlined the trend with a chart forecasting a sharp increase in the share of Venezuelan oil produced and refined by joint ventures with China in coming years.

As well as a joint refinery project, Venezuela’s state-run oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, has announced in the past week that China will build 13 oil drilling platforms, supply 18 oil tankers and collaborate in the exploration of a new heavy oil field in the Orinoco Belt.

According to the Venezuelan media, China has also agreed to build houses for 20,000 people as a contribution towards Mr Chávez’s policy of reducing homelessness. Chinese state-controlled news agencies say Beijing will also help the South American nation build a fibre optic network, modernise a gold mine and develop railways and farm irrigation systems.

Mr Chávez visited the headquarters of China’s space programme, where a communications satellite for Venezuela is being built. “We are creating a strategic alliance with the strength of the Great Wall,” Mr Chávez told the Chinese President, Hu Jintao, on Thursday.

Aside from energy deals, the biggest success for Mr Chávez was a promise from China to support Venezuela’s bid to join the 15-member Security Council as South America’s representative. Washington prefers Ecuador, saying Mr Chávez would be disruptive. “The US government has employed every means to block my country from joining the Security Council,” Mr Chávez told reporters. “The American imperialists are trying to stop us.” —Dawn/The Guardian News Service

http://www.dawn.com/2006/08/27/int13.htm

america's gonna get fucked.

how unfortunate that Chavez has teamed up with a country that treats is people like shit.

What is meant by combating American "hegemony" is that both China and Venezuala are both sick and tired of U.S. constant nagging about minor issues like human rights, self determination and democracy.

If you're an autocratic thug, it's got to be so damn refreshing to deal with other such thugs who don't give a damn how one treats their own people.

Dammit.

are both sick and tired of U.S. constant nagging about minor issues like human rights, what, like torture?...

what, like torture?...

Out of curiosity, guerilla, has it ever occured to you that there may be a little bit of difference between three yahoos running amok in Abu Ghraib and say, Tienemen Square, where protestors, who wanted democratic reform, were shot, beaten and hauled away then the soldiers who did the shooting, beating and hauling away were given medals? Do you not see just a LITTLE difference? Is it possible to put aside your adolescent anti-Americanism just long enough to see true evil in the world?

Dammit.

Geez!

I already talked shit about china....you're just mad because I'm not creaming myself over the US.
self determination and democracy.
91.7% of Iraqis oppose the presence of coalition troops in the country
http://abuaardvark.typepad.com/abuaardvark/2006/08/what_the_iraqi_.html

I already talked shit about china....you're just mad because I'm not creaming myself over the US.

I'm aware that you did speak ill of China, I'm asking for a bit of perspective of what is true evil in the world, dammit.

It amazing how far Chavez is willing to go just out of spite.

It amazing how far Chavez is willing to go just out of spite.

Chavez's scapegoating of the U.S. is going to be a poor substitute for loss of rights as well as an economy that WILL leave the average Venezualans out in the cold. Venezuela will be another banana Republic, no matter how much oil revenue they recieve, dammit.

It amazing how far Chavez is willing to go just out of spite.

You might be a bit spiteful too towards a country that has republican spokespeople saying that you should be assassinated.

You might be a bit spiteful too towards a country that has republican spokespeople saying that you should be assassinated.

He didn't like us before Pat started making his lunatic ravings public.

What is meant by combating American "hegemony" is that both China and Venezuala are both sick and tired of U.S. constant nagging.......

What is meant by combating American "hegemony" is that both China and Venezuala have come to recognize who poses --by far-- the greatest threat to their continued economic progress and survival and also to the rest of the world; the uber-Conservative cabal running the USA.

As I noted previously, the rest of the nations of the world are slowly becoming aware of who is the most powerful, most predatory, most imperialist, most terrorristic nation on Earth, and they are beginning to form alliances to thwart the threat posed to them.

At some point, the Pacific Rim nations may well look to form an alliance with Russia to try to stave off the impending US imperialism that the members of the insatiably greedy PNAC have outlined so clearly.

It's all about the OIL.

Any country that is oil rich is in serious danger of being pre-emptively attacked by the United States and/or Israel.

Heh, you're funny lungdop. You remind me of 90% of the students at Berkeley, but you forgot about Sadam trying to kill his dad. If I was in Bush's shoes and someone tried to kill my dad, I'd send in Rainbow to go fuck him up.

Just giving rational for his decision. It was a crappy move though. The amount of money that oil from Iraq will save us won't cover the cost of the war. So obviously the main reason was not for oil.

What is meant by combating American "hegemony" is that both China and Venezuala have come to recognize who poses --by far-- the greatest threat to their continued economic progress and survival and also to the rest of the world; the uber-Conservative cabal running the USA.

Blah, blah, blah. Isn't amazing that the most represssive countries with the worst human rights record are the ones worried about American "hegemony."

Dammit.

Heh, you're funny lungdop. You remind me of 90% of the students at Berkeley, but you forgot about Sadam trying to kill his dad. If I was in Bush's shoes and someone tried to kill my dad, I'd send in Rainbow to go fuck him up.

Just giving rational for his decision. It was a crappy move though. The amount of money that oil from Iraq will save us won't cover the cost of the war. So obviously the main reason was not for oil.


So what is it exactly that brings you to point out Berkeley students after reading my post? Do you have extra terrestial powers that tell you I hang out there when I'm in the East bay? Do they tell you I often stop in Berkeley on my trips to Golden Gate? LOL