Chavez Predicts $3B in China Trade

[bin.dare]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4697015,00.html

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez said oil and gas deals he recently signed with the Chinese, part of a strategy to reduce reliance on U.S. export markets, will boost trade with the Asian country to nearly $3 billion next year.

...

The agreements allow Chinese companies to help pump oil, set up refineries and produce natural gas in the South American country, officials said earlier.

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China is eager to secure new sources of energy for its booming economy, which is struggling with power shortages. Venezuela wants to find new customers to reduce reliance on the United States, its No. 1 market but also a critic of Chavez's six-year-old government.

Meanwhile, Chavez said Venezuela will also buy a satellite from China. He didn't give details, but last week Information Minister Andres Izarra told the state news agency Venpres that within a year the satellite would be in orbit to fill Venezuela's communication needs and would give the country ``full sovereignty'' in telecommunications.

He also said the Venezuelan government will acquire Chinese radar to improve security along its borders. The South American country already has announced measures to tighten control over its border with Colombia to prevent the incursion of Colombian rebels, paramilitary fighters, or drug traffickers.

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[autorank]

1. Memo to Hugo: get ready for out-of-town visitors real soon.

I guess Hugo failed to read the election returns. I don't blame him for the China deal, but geez, why provoke the shrubster.

On edit: Welcome to DU!!!

[Born Free]

8. damn, the country was just infested with terrorists

damn, just when they thought they were breaking away from the bush cowards team a group of terrorists mysteriously show up, damn looks like they will need to be eradicated and a new government put in place.

[autorank]

9. Dude, you're psychic!!! Who wins the Derby this year?

Do you work for the NY Times or Wash Post. They're gearing up for that, I'm sure.

[Zech Marquis]

2. Hugo, while you have the Chinese in town

ask them to seel you some of their weapons, like sams, tanks, etc, and ask the Russians for some fo their best fighter jets while you're at it. * won't take all of your reaching out for much longer, so i'd say betetr prepared than sorry :scared:

[EmpireWeAre]

4. Not the best Russian fighters jets

but for the money they're not bad.
Venezuela to Buy 50 Russian Mig-29 Fighters
http://www.mosnews.com/money/2004/09/17/venezuela.shtml

[EmpireWeAre]

3. The decades of our greedy fuck government

doing the bidding of our greedy fuck corporations is coming back to bite us in the ass.
But will the greedy fucks do even the simplest of things like raise CAFÉ standards?

“I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.”
Marine Corps Major General Smedley Butler 1933

[Selatius]

5. Hell, where else could Chavez get equipment to defend his country?

Snip:

Venezuelan defense officials have said that they were turning to new defense partners because of deteriorating military relations with the United States. More than half of Venezuela’s 22 F-16s are currently grounded due to a lack of maintenance and spare parts. But Colombia and other neighboring countries fear that the new arms would enable Chavez to impose his geopolitical and ideological agenda.

Gee, uh, last time I checked, Brazil was not shaking in its boots.

Another snip:

Russian and Cuban military officials enjoy warm relations with the Venezuelan Defense Ministry, according to American and EU diplomatic sources who believe that Russia is prepared to sell the full MiG package. The sources say that Russia’s defense attache, air force Col. Oleg Krayotin, holds regular meetings with Venezuelan Defense Minister Garcia Carneiro.

Venezuelan contracts are also being drawn up for Russian Mi-17 heavy-lift helicopters as well as radar systems from China, according to U.S. intelligence reports.

I swear, if this was 1984 instead of 2004, we'd have invaded long ago.

[Judi Lynn]

6. I would have hoped even Reagan wasn't nasty enough to involve

the U.S. in a coup attempt of Venezuela. They have every right to expect the very worst as long as _Bush is infesting the White House.

[Voltaire99]

7. China in another step toward eclipsing the US

While we piss away lives, money and international good will in Iraq, China is busy cutting deals in our hemisphere and Europe.

Meanwhile, as long as the US can not learn to live within its means, China is needed to buy our debt, and so has us over a barrel.

Bad. Very bad. Tell your kids to study Chinese. If by luck they don't end up needing it, their children certainly will.