Chuck Van Soye's Blog

There is probably no other nation that has a greater stake in replacing the just-deceased leader of Venezuela with “the right man” than China.  China stands to lose much if the “wrong man” becomes the new leader, a man that’s not friendly to continuing to supply vast quantities of the wealth of raw materials beneath the nation’s surface.  China is the recipient of millions of barrels of oil monthly, much at the expense of the United States, which Chavez diminished purposely and extensi vely in favor of China.  China has such a financial and physical stake in Venezuela minerals, such as gold and uranium, not to mention undeveloped oil fields holding vast quantities of petroleum, that it will push their “right man.”  If Las Vegas wagering centers offer opportunity to bet on who will replace Chavez, my money will be on whomever China picks and backs.

The very real-life danger of China’s fear of losing the favorable influence of Chavez forms the theme upon which the new fiction spy thriller, The China Oil Plot, is based.

It took over four months of debate and delay amongst political factions of the Canadian govenment before Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced last Friday that Canada has approved the takeover of Nexen, Inc. by the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).  The actual purchase date for the $15 billion deal was back on July 28, but was delayed due to considerable consternation and worry related to such a large acquisition and control of that nation’s natural resorces sector by a foreign state-owned entity. CNOOC still awaits U.S. approvals, since Nexen has offshore drilling activities in the Gulf of Mexico. 

For additional background on the Nexen deal, see other stories in this blog.  For a more enjoyable reading of this theme, check out “The China Oil Plot,” a new novel that that mixes spy fiction with the realities of today’s oil thirsty world

Are Chinese state-owned technology companies operating in the U.S. linked to Chinese intelligence, and are they using their products for cyber espionage?  The U.S. House Intelligence Committee is sufficiently worried about this that they’ve been considered during recent public hearings.  So now, the Canadian government’s opposition party is using these hearings to accentuate their stated position against allowing a $15 billion Chinese takeover of a major Alberta resource, Calgary-based Nexen, Inc. 

According to the Vancouver Sun’s business section, the opposition party’s foreign affairs and national resources critics pointed to “Monday’s warning by the U.S. House Intelligence Committee that the States should avoid doing business” with two Chinese state-owned technology companies as good reason to avoid “ceding control of the large Canadian resource company to a state-owned Chinese interest raises national security concerns, among others.”

For more background on this story, go to this blog’s article “China Buys Into North America’s Oil Assets,” published below on July 28, 2012.

For a more enjoyable reading of this theme, check out “The China Oil Plot,” a new novel that that mixes spy fiction with the realities of today’s oil thirsty world.

After beating challenger Henrique Capriles in Venezuela’s presidential election Sunday, Hugo Chavez is set for another six years as that country’s leader.  His victory assures a continued close relationship with China, which depends heavily on that Latin nation’s oil resources, which amounted to 640,000 barrels per day during 2012.  Had Capriles won, there may have been modifications in the relationship not beneficial to China, some analysts believe.  A key factor in Chavez’s win, political observers say, was his ability to openly transfer income from Chinese oil exports and loans to Venezuela’s lower-income classes. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, however, refuted claims that Chinese capital influences politics in Venezuela, calling them totally groundless.

The real-life danger that China’s dependency on Venezuelan oil might provoke international political strife if anything threatened to disrupt these oil deliveries is the very theme upon which the new spy fiction thriller, The China Oil Plot, is based.

China has loaned Venezuela $ 42.5 billion since 2007, in exchange for a huge chunk of the country’s oil plus a plethora of contracts to Chinese state-run companies, which are expanding China’s sphere of influence and presence throughout the nation.  According to an article by Charlie Devereux in The San Francisco Chronicle, at least $12 billion in loans promised in the past 15 months are “fueling a surge in spending as Chavez hands out homes to the poor, stocks “socialist” supermarkets with appliances  and builds a cross-country railroad – all aimed at winning votes next month in his toughest election battle ever.”

China, through this expansion of influence over Venezuela,  clearly wants Chavez to win, since his opposition  candidate, Henrique Capriles, has pledged to revise sweetheart deals between PDVSA, the Venezuelan state oil company, and China. 

The very real-life danger that a Capriles victory might disrupt oil deliveries to China is the very theme upon which the new spy fiction thriller, The China Oil Plot, is based.

Only a few weeks away, on October 7th, Venezuelan citizens will choose their president for the next six years.  Hugo Chavez , the current president, is being opposed in the election by candidate Henrique Capriles, who has pledged to revise sweetheart deals between PDVSA, the Venezuelan state oil company, and China.  The Venezuelan government wants to keep benefiting from billions of dollars of economic support from China, and in return, China wants an ever-increasing percentage of Venezuelan’s oil.

According to reports, dozens of Chavez supporters wearing red shirts blocked a road leading to a Capriles rally, torched a campaign truck, hurled rocks at Capriles supporters, and stole some of the campaign’s speakers and a generator. 

The very real-life danger that a Capriles victory might disrupt oil deliveries to China is the very theme upon which the new spy fiction thriller, The China Oil Plot, is based.

After 20 years working for the U.S. Army Research Center, Bret Lee, a 44-year-old chemical engineer retires to look for work in private industry, only to learn that in the tough 2010 economy, he’s unable to find a job. But thanks to a quasi-government contact from his past, he’s offered high-paying employment at a Venezuelan fertilizer plant just outside Caracas. There’s only one catch; he has to become a spy. Bret and his Chinese wife, Chu-Lin, accept the challenge, and both become enmeshed in the military, political and diplomatic aspects of life within the most dangerous city of the world. With help from the local CIA, Lee uncovers an international plot that could throw Latin America into turmoil, and that could strangle strategic oil shipments to the U.S. Life gets even more intense when he finds himself locked up by SEBIN, the intelligence arm of the Venezuelan government. In the 21st century ‘poker’ game of international petroleum supply, China puts big money and a lot more on the game table to ensure that it will be the ultimate winner of Venezuela’s oil production. But the Lees have an “ace in the hole,” and their hand trumps China’s plans. The China Oil Plot skillfully blends real-world tensions with a thrilling plot that will keep you enthralled.

The world press has been buzzing lately over the fact that Xi Jinping, current Vice President of China and anticipated new head of the Chinese Communist Party, has gone missing.  He hasn’t been seen now for almost two weeks, and his absence has caused cancellation of meetings with Hillary Clinton, as well as high-level diplomats from Singapore and Denmark.  Rumors abound as to the cause of his disappearance,  and range from a sports injury, to illness, to assassination.  For more on this story from London’s Channel  4 News blog at http://blogs.channel4.com/lindsey-hilsum-on-international-affairs/where-is-chinas-crown-prince-xi-jinping/607

Because Nexen has about 10% of its assets in the United States, CNOOC has notified CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) of its intentions to take ownership of Nexen, a major Canadian oil firm.  For more information, click link: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/chinas-cnooc-oil-firm-asks-us-government-to-review-nexen-bid