Venezuela's Gold Crisis Is Spurring Chinese Investment By Andrew Foote

China has had long-standing interests in South America since the Cold War. As times have changed, so has the nature of its involvement turning from the spread of Communism, to foreign direct investment (FDI). Venezuela is a lucrative opportunity mainly because it sits on some of the largest oil deposits in the world, and is the fifth largest supplier of oil to U.S. markets. As a member of OPEC it also has considerable leverage on pricing and supply. More...