On January 3rd, the United States launched a surprise raid on Venezuela and arrested the country’s president, Maduro, and his wife. During the operation, Venezuela’s long-standing reliance on and heavy investment in Chinese-made anti-aircraft radar and defense systems failed to provide effective warning and defense capabilities, raising doubts about the combat effectiveness of Chinese military equipment.
Following this military operation, several observers who closely monitor Sino-Venezuelan relations pointed out that Venezuela’s so-called “strongest defense system in South America,” which was built over the years, was virtually paralyzed in the face of precise strikes by the U.S. military, rendering it ineffective.
In a recent video program, the social media influencer “Beijing Talker,” who emigrated from Beijing to Spain, recalled his experiences from his early days in Beijing. From July 11, 2012, to April 24, 2014, he rented an apartment in Beijing Fenglong Guan Longze Yuan East District, Building 25, Room 705. The landlords, a couple, were both engaged in aviation-related technical work and had traveled to Venezuela multiple times for business.
According to “Beijing Talker,” the male landlord named Zhao and his wife named Fu both worked at “Beijing Blue Sky Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.,” with Zhao serving as the company’s vice president and Fu working in the business department. They were classmates at Beihang University. Fu’s father was an employee at Tsinghua University.
Fu once told “Beijing Talker” about their experiences of traveling to Venezuela for business (selling weapons). She mentioned that the security situation in Venezuela was extremely poor, and when they stayed there, they lived in a high-walled compound with barbed wire and an electric fence on the walls. They always hired local security companies before going out, paying for bodyguards who carried guns with live ammunition. So, that country was in a dire state. He had discussed this incident in a previous video program.
“Beijing Blue Sky Aviation Technology Co., Ltd.” is located at 9 Shangdi Kaifa Road, Haidian District, Beijing. The legal representative is Zhang Zheting, who may have transitioned from the Chinese Air Force.
According to the official website of Beijing Blue Sky Aviation Technology Co., Ltd., the company was established in 1975, originating from the Aviation Simulation Research Institute under the former Ministry of Aerospace Industry. It is a national high-tech enterprise focused on the research and development of aviation simulation equipment, being the first in the country to develop a fully domestically-owned D-class simulator. The company has undertaken the development of flight test platforms for domestic civil aircraft such as the ARJ21, C919, CR929, the new aircraft 60, 600, AG600, and simulators for multiple fixed-wing aircraft and helicopter models for the Chinese Air Force, Navy, Army, and Armed Police.
“Beijing Talker” mentioned that after the division of the former Ministry of Aerospace Industry into aerospace and aviation sectors, the aviation companies make aircraft, while the aerospace companies develop missiles.
Venezuela, which invested heavily in building the so-called “strongest defense system in South America” with Chinese-made equipment, was left in ruins during the precise U.S. raid. The supposedly “anti-stealth” JY-27 radar failed to function, and the VN series amphibious tanks, lacking radar warnings and air superiority cover, became easy targets for the U.S. military, ending up abandoned on the roadside.
During a routine press conference on January 5th, a journalist from Japan’s Tokyo Television directly asked the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson about Venezuela’s extensive procurement of Chinese weapons not seeming effective during the U.S. attack. The spokesperson did not directly address the question but expressed China’s firm support for the peaceful position of Latin America and the Caribbean, opposition to the use or threat of force in international relations, and disapproval of bullying actions that violate the UN Charter and infringe on other countries’ sovereignty.