Venezuela's Minister of Hydrocarbons, Paula Henao, stated in an interview with the channel Venevisión that the country will honor the pacts established with China and Russia. She emphasized that these are agreements involving joint ventures with permission to carry out existing primary activities, and that Venezuela highly values these commitments.
Henao responded to the question about the possible exclusion of China and Russia from Venezuelan oil business due to the agreement signed between Caracas and Washington. She assured that the joint companies where these two countries have participation will continue to operate normally.
Recently, the White House had declared that most of the oil fields covered by the bilateral agreement were previously managed or exploited by Russian and Chinese companies, or by corrupt allies of Nicolás Maduro and Hugo Chávez.
Hugo Chávez, who was president of Venezuela from 2022 until his death in 2013, was succeeded by Nicolás Maduro. The text mentions that Maduro was detained by US military forces in Caracas the previous year.
Washington alleged that these 'malicious foreign actors' exploited Venezuela's resources for the benefit of adversaries of the United States, citing Cuba, Russia, and China, without investing in the infrastructure or development of the South American nation.
On Tuesday, China requested that its interests in Venezuela be safeguarded, after reports indicated that the new oil agreement between Caracas and Washington could impact areas where Chinese companies, such as state-owned Sinopec and CNPC, operated.
Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a press conference that 'China's legitimate rights and interests in Venezuela must be safeguarded.' He also stressed that the collaboration between China and Venezuela 'is protected by international law and the laws of both countries.'
China has had significant interests in the Venezuelan oil sector for several years, with state-owned companies involved in exploration and production projects, resulting from the strong economic ties between Beijing and Caracas during the Chavista governments.