Looks like we’re gonna be drawn into the tussle between the US and China as to who’s gonna be Numero Uno. Not surprisingly, this came to the fore during US Secty of State Marco Rubio’s Thursday visit. China’s been acting all friendly and chummy with us, while massively supporting Mad Maduro over in Venezuela – our most implacable enemy. China’s been speaking from both sides of its mouth on the border controversy; and, even then, been uttering nothing but platitudes while insisting it’s being “even-handed”.
How can there be “even-handedness” on Venezuela’s breaking international law – most recently by sending his naval gunboat into our EEZ to threaten the ExxonMobil FPSO. This was a criminal action, and was called out even by countries like St Vincent, whose PM, Ralphie Gonsalves, is Mad Maduro’s biggest brown-noser!! What makes China’s stance even more intolerable is that ExxonMobil isn’t the sole owner of the accosted FPSO. The Chinese company CNOOC -owned by the CHINESE GOVERNMENT – has 25% ownership, and has been earning 25% of the profits from the Stabroek Block ever since oil started flowing back in 2019!!
China wants to have its cake – Stabroek Block oil profits – and eat it too by chumming up with Mad Maduro. China is Venezuela’s largest oil customer, while supplying the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA with all sorts of inputs for processing their heavy crude. Anyhow, Secty Rubio was given a very ebullient welcome by Pressie – as is his nature, to begin – after he intensified US commitment to our security vis-a-vis Venezuela!! In response, Pressie enthused: “The U.S. is a great friend of ours. The U.S. has made it very clear that they are ready to stand by us in our development, in our economic expansion, in our security, and in our defence. And I will say very boldly that such friends must have some different and preferential treatment, because a friend who will defend me when I need a friend to defend me must be a friend that enjoys some special place in our heart; and in our country, that will be the case.”
Well…who told him to say that?!! The Chinese Embassy immediately issued this statement: “China has always “Put China-Guyana Friendship First”. We honor our commitment with concrete actions. As a matter of fact, China has participated fully at the biggest economic and social transformation in the history of Guyana. Facts and figures speak louder than anything else”.
But didn’t we pay for whatever the Chinese built?? Anyhow, Rubio later took a swipe at the Chinese-built infrastructure, claiming it was shoddy, delayed, and didn’t use local labour. And that the US will now provide an alternative!!
So, we can now play them off against each other?? Heh…heh!!
…naval cooperation
Coinciding with Secty of State Rubio’s visit here – but not COINCIDENTAL – the GDF announced that its patrol vessel Shahoud was conducting joint maritime exercises with the US Navy’s USS Normandy in our EEZ. Of course, Exxon’s FPSO mentioned above was violated on March 1 by a Venezuelan naval vessel. Grrrrr!
The USS Normandy is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile vessel armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons. She’s equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare, and was the first US warship since 1945 to go to war on her maiden cruise in the 10 Gulf War!! The Venezuelans have a number of small, Iranian built, Peykaap III (Zolfaghar)-class guided missile patrol boats that are absolutely no match for the Normandy!!
The GDF emphasized that the exercises focused on strengthening communications protocols, interoperability and coordinated manoeuvres, “providing both militaries with valuable opportunities to refine operational readiness and share best practices”.
The joint exercises are reflective of the growing military-to-military relationship between Guyana and the US.
…political landscape
With us about to enter into the homestretch of the 2025 Elections sweepstakes, you’d think by now we’d know which horses…errr…parties!…would be in the running. We only got two days to month-end for that PNC-AFC joint candidacy!!
