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He Huifeng

Two months after the United States’ capture and forcible extradition of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro – and as the South American country attempts to settle into a state of relative normalcy in the aftermath of the military incursion – a cohort of Chinese migrants are relocating there in search of business opportunities.
Not all are new arrivals. Mey Hou, a long-term Venezuela resident in her 40s who fled the country during Maduro’s tenure, said many people from her hometown in southern China’s Guangdong province were already on their way to the country or preparing to go.
“Whether it’s returning overseas Chinese or young people who’ve never been there before, they’re eager to explore the new opportunities (emerging after the political changes),” she said.
The easing of US sanctions on Venezuela’s economy, particularly its oil industry, have made Caracas more appealing for entrepreneurial migrants as US dollars begin to recirculate and energy exports rise.
While the January assault by US Special Forces to seize Maduro on drug trafficking charges was met with condemnation by numerous countries and international bodies – and a December poll from Datanalisis showed 55 per cent of surveyed Venezuelans opposed foreign military intervention – the geopolitical shift was cited by Hou and others in the Chinese migrant community as the main reason for their return.
Her hometown, Enping, a remote city in west Guangdong, has long and deep ties with the South American country. From the late 19th to the early 20th century, it became a key origin for Chinese migration to Venezuela.
The Chinese population in Venezuela peaked at around 400,000 by 2013 – when former president Hugo Chavez died and Maduro assumed office – with roughly 70 per cent tracing their ancestry to Enping, according to those who have returned to China.
For decades, these migrants and their descendants dominated sectors such as grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants and businesses selling household goods, creating tight networks and business know-how.


That foundation was shaken during the economic and social crises between 2015 and 2018, when hyperinflation, crime and instability forced tens of thousands to flee back to their homeland, leaving behind businesses and assets at steep losses.
Mey Hou recalled that her family sold its two grocery shops in Caracas in 2015 for only US$10,000 each before escaping, though they were originally valued at US$150,000.
But now, a new wave of Enping natives, along with others from provinces such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Fujian, is returning to start over.
Lower visa and travel costs have also helped fuel the migration wave. “Young people today only need capital and a business or tourist visa to explore opportunities in Venezuela. Back in the early 2000s, we had to rely on smuggling routes via Cuba and pay traffickers tens of thousands of yuan,” Hou said.
Official support is also on the rise. Earlier this month, Venezuela’s consulate in Guangzhou held an event in Enping, handling passport services and accepting visa applications on-site, according to its official social media account.
Many in the community said they saw this as a sign that authorities were actively facilitating travel and encouraging overseas Chinese to return.
The move comes as Venezuela seeks to attract fresh capital and business activity. By expanding consular services in major migrant regions, officials appear to be lowering barriers for small traders and entrepreneurs, whose US dollar-based transactions have become increasingly important to the local economy.
Among those returning is Hou’s brother, David, who left Venezuela for Canada in 2016, and went back to Caracas late last year. His wife is currently in Guangzhou, waiting for her visa so she can join him.




“Dollar circulation has increased and the market is gradually becoming active,” he said. “This encourages many Chinese to reinvest and grow their business.”
David Hou and his partners run a roughly 700-square-metre (7,534 sq ft) supermarket selling imported household goods and groceries from China.
Chinese milk tea shops are a huge hit among young people and are now expanding to Europe and the US. Hou’s wife wants to open a similar style of shop in Caracas, perhaps expanding to a small chain.
“Young Venezuelan people would love them,” he said.
He observed that Caracas was now more orderly than before. “There’s no looting or unrest, but ordinary residents still face hardships. Prices are largely in dollars, and many households barely meet basic expenses.”
The official exchange rate has risen from 390 to around 430 bolivares per dollar, while the black market rate has dropped from 800 to 630.
Compared with January, consumption has improved slightly but is still far below pre-2015 levels. “People remain cautious with spending, buying only what they need rather than indulging,” David Hou said, adding that government departments remain unstable and salaries for civil servants and police were irregular.
Business models are also shifting for the new Chinese explorers. “In the past, most Chinese ran supermarkets or restaurants,” he said. “Now, young people focus on small-scale chains, service businesses, e-commerce and some new factories.
“Others from Zhejiang, Jiangsu and elsewhere are coming, with some importing over 30 shipping containers in a single month.
“They are investing in supermarkets that are larger and more upscale than the ones we used to run back then,” he added.

His supermarket pays a monthly rent of US$7,000, with daily revenues of around US$3,000-4,000, including roughly US$100 in cash plus credit card and local currency payments. “We are profitable, but far from the US$10,000 to US$15,000 daily revenue we used to see,” he said.
He expressed a hope that easing sanctions, increasing oil exports and greater US dollar circulation will improve Venezuelans’ spending power, helping businesses recover further.
“I used to wholesale women’s handbags and cosmetics in Venezuela and recently many local clients still remember me and have asked when we’ll resume trading together,” said Zhong Mingli, another Enping native. “I can’t help but think of having a go again.”
The renewed interest is not just longing for the past or family ties. Many Chinese traders see Venezuela as offering a small but real chance for private business. Older migrants have better advantages in Venezuela than in China, with language skills, family support and networking, while for young arrivals, it’s more like a first-time experiment in an overseas market slowly stabilising from a low base.
That means the current wave is not a return of big corporations, but shops, wholesalers, service entrepreneurs and community-linked investors willing to take uncertainty for easier access and potential gains.
Even before this year’s geopolitical shifts, the underlying strength of bilateral trade had already laid a foundation for the migration and remigration wave.
Chinese customs data showed imports and exports between China and Venezuela totalled around US$6.53 billion in 2025 – up about 2 per cent from the previous year – with China exporting about US$5.33 billion and importing about US$1.20 billion.
China remained Venezuela’s biggest oil client despite disruptions from US sanctions and recent political shifts. Figures from 2025 showed strong Chinese exports in electronic items, vehicles and appliances, alongside Venezuelan exports dominated by crude oil, iron ore and organic chemicals.


Beijing has also signalled support for tighter economic ties with Caracas.
As China enters a new five-year economic cycle in 2026, “China-Venezuela cooperation will usher in even broader prospects”, said Lan Hu, the Chinese ambassador to Venezuela, in an article published in Venezuelan newspaper Ultimas Noticias this month.
He indicated that China will coordinate the advancement of major landmark projects and “small and beautiful” livelihood projects in countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, including Venezuela.
Still, analysts cautioned that Venezuela is a small part of China’s global trade. Mei Xinyu, a researcher at a think tank under the Ministry of Commerce, wrote in an article in January that Venezuela accounted for less than 1 per cent of China’s total trade, direct investment and overseas construction, sometimes far less.
“The widely circulated claim that China has invested US$60 billion in Venezuela is greatly exaggerated,” Mei said. “In terms of potential economic and trade losses, January’s incident does not pose a major shock to China’s interest.”
Some structural constraints remain. Large state-backed projects face higher risk from policy shifts, contracts and geopolitics, whereas smaller traders can move faster and rely on local ties. This has led many returnees to prefer flexible, small-scale business operations over heavy capital projects.
According to David Hou, the most profitable sectors are manufacturing and resource industries, largely controlled by government-linked groups. Retail and services are recovering slowly but innovative small businesses will seize profits quickly.
Meanwhile, major China-invested oil and infrastructure projects might be among the most exposed to geopolitical uncertainty, he said.
“I used to be a supplier for some of these Chinese-backed projects, but many of them might be put on hold for a long while.”


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A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’


A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’.


Maduro’s capture sparked outrage, confusion – and a Chinese migration wave to Venezuela

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’

A large chunk of Venezuela’s Chinese community fled overseas during Maduro’s rule. Now, many are returning as they see ‘new opportunities’