WASHINGTON ¨C Among the many goals of this month¡¯s U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was to send China a message: stay away from the Americas.
For at least two decades, Beijing has sought to build influence in Latin America, not only to pursue economic opportunities but to gain a strategic foothold on the doorstep of its top geopolitical rival. China¡¯s progress ¡ª from satellite tracking stations in Argentina and a port in Peru to economic support for Venezuela ¡ª has been an irritant for successive U.S. administrations, including that of current U.S. President Donald Trump.
Several Trump administration officials said the U.S. president¡¯s move against Maduro was intended in part to counter China¡¯s ambitions, and Beijing¡¯s ?days of leveraging debt to get cheap oil from Venezuela were ¡°over.¡±
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