China banks told to halt lending to US banks / Venezuela signs Chinese oil deal / BOLIVIA: Morales Cites "Evidence" of U.S. Meddling / BOLIVIA: Morales Cites "Evidence" of U.S. Meddling
lc
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSPEK16693720080925
Wed Sep 24, 2008
BEIJING, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Chinese regulators have told domestic
banks to stop interbank lending to U.S. financial institutions to
prevent possible losses during the financial crisis, the South China
Morning Post reported on Thursday.
The Hong Kong newspaper cited unidentified industry sources as saying
the instruction from the China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC)
applied to interbank lending of all currencies to U.S. banks but not
to banks from other countries.
"The decree appears to be Beijing's first attempt to erect defences
against the deepening U.S. financial meltdown after the mainland's
major lenders reported billions of U.S. dollars in exposure to the
credit crisis," the SCMP said.
A spokesman for the CBRC had no immediate comment
][][
BOLIVIA: Morales Cites "Evidence" of U.S. Meddling
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.royalty/msg/724b11a3d91c003d
][][
Venezuela signs Chinese oil deal
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7634871.stm
By Warren Bull Thursday, 25 September 2008
President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela has signed a series of energy co-
operation deals with China.
He said oil exports from Venezuela to China could rise threefold by
2012, to one million barrels a day.
Venezuela, one of the world's largest oil producers, is seeking new
markets to reduce its dependency on exports to the United States.
Mr Chavez has now continued to Russia, for his third visit to Moscow
within three months.
Energy co-operation
After holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, the
Venezuelan president told journalists in Beijing that China was a
super-giant, which needed more energy, and that Venezuela was
committed to help provide it.
"While the world enters an energy crisis, we are investing," said Mr
Chavez.
Apart from oil exports to China, other plans include joint projects to
build three oil refineries in the country capable of processing
Venezuela's heavy crude oil.
As in Latin America, Mr Chavez is seeking to use his vast oil reserves
to forge alliances away from Washington's influence.
Now he begins a visit to Russia, where, as with Beijing, energy co-
operation is central to Venezuela's relationship.
But so too is military firepower.
In the past few years Hugo Chavez has signed arms contracts with
Russia worth more than $4bn, and only last week a Russian Navy
squadron left for Venezuela, where the two countries are scheduled to
hold joint exercises in the coming weeks.
The US government says it is not concerned by the developments, but
equally it cannot be happy about the encroachment by Russia, or China,
into a region Washington has long considered its backyard.