The show of force is intended to send a message to Washington, which has stationed three warships off Venezuela's coast for what the U.S. says are anti-drug operations.

While it might seem minor it was yet another sign of Venezuela’s need to publicize its rapprochement with China in the midst of tension with the US.

Tensions in the Caribbean are surging as the United States dispatched three Aegis-equipped destroyers—the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson—to waters near Venezuela, aiming to bolster its counter-narcotics operations, according to U.S. defense officials.