On Chinese threats and American friends

PASCUAL SERRANO

As everyone knows, on the international stage, Spain, and Europe in general, are partners of the United States: partners in the military, economic and geostrategic spheres. All Spanish defense policy and trade relations revolve around (to put it mildly) the United States. We citizens can have whatever opinion we want about that country, but for our rulers they are the “American friend.”

On the contrary, it is increasingly being established by those in power that China is the threat. In the past 2022 NATO Summit documents described it as a “challenge” to western peace and the word “threat” was recorded in numerous statements and news.

That said, two recent news items can help us see how the “friend” treats us and how the “threat” treats us. How they behave with us in the most tangible way, in business relationships.

Let's put it in context. Under the pretext of its concern for democracy, the US government established economic sanctions against Venezuela. These are several waves of sanctions imposed since 2015. However, the energy crisis generated by the sanctions against Russia caused them to have to soften some of those sanctions last year, which showed that the supposed American indignation against Venezuelan democracy was not very relative, or it was not the reason for their sanctions.

For this reason, it approved what they called licenses, that is, partial and temporary exceptions to some sanctions. For example, general license number 44, which softened the impositions against the activity and commercialization of oil and gas in Venezuela. Now, on April 18, they reverted that license, that is, sanctions against companies that market Venezuelan oil are resumed.

However, another license has been maintained, number 41, which is renewed automatically on the 26th of each month. This license establishes that the US Treasury Department continues to allow the US oil company Chevron to exploit and market Venezuelan oil. In fact, at the beginning of April it was reported that the joint company between PDVSA (the Venezuelan state company) and Chevron, Petroindependencia, activated the first of the 17 wells of new generation that it plans to install this year as part of the “2024 Drilling Plan.”

Thus, oil shipments to the United States will continue without problems, they will even benefit because the resale of Venezuelan oil through Chevron could be further promoted. So, with the change in the situation, more than a sanction against Venezuela, its government or its oil, what is established is a privilege towards the American company and a sanction to the rest, especially the European ones that operate.They abandoned or attempted to operate and market Venezuelan oil.

As things stand with the new panorama announced on April 18, The American company is the only one granted permission to market, leaving the Spanish Repsol, the Italian Eni and the French Maurel/Prom, all of them in commercial negotiations with PDVSA, out of the market and under threat of sanction.

In conclusion, with the alibi of pressuring the Venezuelan government to be more democratic on the eve of its presidential elections on July 18, the “American friend” whom it is truly sanctioning is the European oil companies, which it prevents from trading with the Venezuelan oil.

Now let's get to the China “threat”.

The day after the news of the US sanctions on European oil companies, on April 19, the arrival in Spain of the Chinese automobile company Chery was celebrated in Barcelona, ​​which, Through an agreement with the Spanish EV Motors, it will allow the production of up to 150.000 vehicles in 2029 (2027 are expected in 50.000) and the recovery of 1.250 jobs. This will be done in the old facilities of the Japanese Nissan in the Free Zone, which abandoned the company at the end of 2021 and left more than 2.500 people out of work in the middle of the Covid pandemic and thousands of people at risk. indirect jobs and the future of several supplier companies. Other “friends”, the Japanese.

Let us clarify that the Chery company is owned by the Chinese state, that is, by that communist government that, according to NATO and the United States, is a “threat.” The signing of the agreement with the Chinese, in addition to the business executives, was attended by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragones, the Minister of Business and Work, Roger Torrent, and the vice governor of China's Anhui province, Shan Xiangqian. Here the rulers, for a little while, forgot the “Chinese threat.”

The conclusion is clear. Go tell the 1.250 Catalan automobile workers that China is a “threat” and the Repsol workers and shareholders that the United States are “friends.”

Pascual Serrano He is a journalist and writer. His last book is "Forbidden to doubt. The ten weeks in which Ukraine changed the world”