Beijing retains commercial interests in Venezuela amid US political tensions

Beijing retains commercial interests in Venezuela even as analysts see Washington curbing its political and strategic influence

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s tribute to Fidel Castro has drawn a blistering rebuke from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, highlighting the political tensions surrounding Caracas’ rapprochement with Washington even as China seeks to preserve its economic interests in the South American country.

Rodriguez marked the centenary of the late Cuban leader’s birth this week by praising Castro as a figure who “transcends time” and invoking his commitment to sovereignty, social justice and Latin American unity.

Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants and a long-time critic of the communist government in Havana, responded sharply.

“Fidel Castro was a complete failure at everything except destroying Cuba and impoverishing, jailing and murdering his own people,” Rubio wrote on social media.

The exchange came as Chinese President Xi Jinping also commemorated Castro’s centenary, praising his contribution to relations between Beijing and Havana and describing him as a founder and promoter of China-Cuba ties.

But analysts said Rodriguez’s embrace of Castro should not necessarily be read as evidence that Venezuela is returning to the geopolitical alignment that characterised the Nicolas Maduro era.