I agree with you JJ...I too have felt for many months that everything points to China being involved....as you said...mentioning 'Political Clout', is real a new thing...and tells me that a partner is going to be a company with direct ties to the government...and there is only ONE such government that has been in the news as having the means and the desire to develop VZ's mineral wealth...The Chinese must be grinning ear to ear, cause they have their own'pet' country, and that country is ripe for the picking.... Chavez is selling out his resources to pay for his wasting of VZ's oil money over the years.....you can bet that China has made some very good deals, and Chavez is like one of those bobble head dolls, noding his head, 'yes yes, we welcome our socialist friends, and feel honoured that you want to invest in our humble country'

It will be very interesting to see how things look in 3 or 4 years from now....did Chavez do the right thing? Or has he turned his country into China's cash cow, those big swollen teets giving China everything they want for decades to come....

I can already taste that fresh whole milk, dribbling down my chin...I really think we're actually getting down to some real nitty gritty....gonna be a good summer.

Pen