U.S. Forces Raid Ship, Seize Cargo Headed to Iran From ChinaOff the coast of Venezuela, US forces have seized an oil tanker suspected of smuggling oil to China in violation of international sanctions. The seizure highlighted the links between Venezuela and not just China, but the Indo-Pacific region. As an energy-rich socialist dictatorship, Venezuela is key political partner of Beijing and Moscow in Latin America, as well as a major recipient of Chinese aid, investment and weapons. The US raid come as the Trump Administration moves to reassert American hegemony over the region. How important is Venezuela to China? Is Trump attempting to reimpose the Monroe Doctrine? And what does the new “China Policy Paper on Latin America and the Caribbean” tell us about Beijing’s plans for the region? In this episode, we discuss Venezuela’s Indo-Pacific ties, Trump and Xi’s policies toward Latin America, and what it means for the Taiwan Strait and beyond.
