Caracas Chronicles

Nicolás Maduro is wrapping up a trip to the piggy bank visit to China. The deal that he signed means that China gives us money so that we can buy trinkets from them and continue subsidizing the scam that is Cadivi. In exchange, they get our oil.

In the end, China keeps their money and our oil, we get trinkets, and the bolibourgoise gets rich engaging in arbitrage – buying at Cadivi rates, and then selling in the black market. This is what passes for “sowing the seeds of future prosperity” in today’s Venezuela.

As this scandalous deal unfolds, one thing keeps bugging me: why are’t we bashing China more?

We’ve seen opposition politicians harshly criticizing Maduro for this deal. Julio Borges, for example, basically said Maduro is ruining Venezuela. That’s all true, but why bother? Our beef is not with the puppet, but with the puppeteer.

The deals between China and Venezuela are one-sided and a virtual capitulation of our sovereignty, but that’s old news. We should go a step further and call things what they are. Any deal that violates our sovereignty, signed with an illegitimate government, under a cloud of darkness, and without proper oversight … is a deal we cannot, will not honor.

I don’t understand what Capriles & company are thinking on this issue. Ask yourself this: if the straw were to break the proverbial camel’s back and chavistas were to leave power, would President Capriles honor Maduro’s commitments to China? Will a MUD government begin shipping oil to China in exchange for money sitting in Diosdado Cabello’s bank accounts? Will the Capriles government partner with CNPC while Rafael Ramírez enjoys a cushy retirement?

Now that would be treasonous.

It seems, instead, that nobody in MUD-land wants to ruffle any feathers. We’ve all bought the line that China is too big to mess with, and that it’s not worth threatening them.

I think there’s an underlying principle at play here, and capitulating makes us look weak. It’s no wonder, then, that the opposition simply gets no respect overseas – not from China, not from the US, and certainly not from Latin American governments.

I’m not saying that we should all take this position. I’m sure many inside the MUD think the deal with China is an indictment on Maduro, and that the Chinese are simply taking advantage of a good opportunity. But it’s strange that nobody is bashing China. By keeping quiet, we are making it costless for them to play favorites in Venezuelan politics and, basically, continue funding a movement that is destroying our country so that they can sell a few more washers.

It would be nice if somebody were to man up and denounce China for what it is: an imperial aggressor fleecing Venezuelan citizens.