Stretching the Limits of Balance of Threat Theory: Case of People’s Republic of China-Venezuelan Relations

Since 2019, many Latin American states, the USA, and the European Union countries have not recognized Nicolás Maduro as a legitimate head of state. This made Venezuela relatively isolated on the world stage, especially in regional affairs. This aspect forced N. Maduro and his government to seek closer relations with the powerful actors that recognized the legitimacy of his rule, such as the PRC. The main objective of this article is to assess the relationship between Venezuela and the PRC in the political, economic, and security spheres. In this article, Stephen Walt’s balance of threat theory was used in order to test how this theory works while analyzing bilateral ties in different cooperation fields. Finally, in this paper, I also raise the theoretical problem that it is difficult for a weaker player to create a balance of power when its partner is geographically distant from it, especially when a weaker ally has less leverage to influence the actions of a more powerful partner.