Venezuela recently announced its intention to cooperate with China and Russia on the International Lunar Research Station, becoming the first country to formally cooperate. The participation of Caracas may seem purely symbolic, as the crisis-hit oil nations are not in a position to make any substantive contribution to the moon, but even this symbolism is equally evident on Earth and in space. It has broad geopolitical implications.

China and Russia envision the ILRS as a “comprehensive scientific experiment station with long-term autonomous operation capability”, mainly tasked with lunar archaeological and ecological research, while also producing lunar energy. China wants to complete the base model by 2028 and achieve full functionality by 2040, an ambitious schedule. This puts the ILRS in competition with the Artemis Accords, the 2020 multilateral framework for lunar exploration and space cooperation currently supported by the United States. has 26 co-signatories, including Latin American Colombia, Mexico and Brazil.

Lunar exploration promises strategic and economic benefits as the next space race begins to take shape. Highlighting just one area, lunar mining has the potential to transform the global market for strategic and valuable cobalt, lithium and rare earth minerals. The legality of mineral mining is ambiguous, as a 1979 United Nations treaty considers astral resources to be a “common heritage of mankind” that cannot be exploited for national benefit. However, many countries, including the United States, have laws that explicitly allow it. Geopolitical risks are high because China currently supplies most of the world’s rare earth minerals, some of which are critical to U.S. defense technology. So the competition for real estate on the Moon is also the competition for technology on Earth.

ILRS and Artemis also serve as indicators of the geopolitical influence and strategic alliances behind Beijing or Washington. Notably, both the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan, and the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Agency (APSCO) have also signed partnerships with Russian and Chinese projects. Caracas’ announcement of its intention to join them is just the latest indicator of China’s growing ties with the region, particularly Venezuela.

Venezuela was the first Latin American country to establish a “Strategic Development Partnership” with China in 2001, growing to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in 2014. Trade growth between the two countries has averaged more than 14 percent per year since 1995, making it Venezuela’s lifeblood. With Maduro’s government shaken, Venezuela has become more dependent than ever on Chinese aid. Venezuela is also eager to receive Belt and Road Initiative funding, including a $7.5 billion high-speed rail project that fizzled out as Venezuela’s economic crisis deepened.

This increased cooperation between China and Venezuela could also affect global energy markets. China has frequently denounced oil sanctions as “coercive diplomacy” and accused the United States of violating Venezuela’s sovereignty and stifling economic growth. But China itself has a large stake in Venezuelan Oil. First, the Caribbean is heavily indebted and oil exports, currently restricted under U.S. sanctions, could offset the balance to China. Moreover, Venezuela offers an alternative to relying on Russia, China’s second largest oil supplier and an increasingly volatile trading partner following Ukraine’s invasion.

Finally, China is also deepening its military ties with the region, from large arms sales to satellite ground station construction to joint training exercises. All of these efforts expand China’s influence within the former Soviet sphere of influence at the expense of not only the United States but also Russia.

As the United States intensifies its policy of “strategic denial,” countries are forced to choose which side to take. Many countries, especially in the developing world, are skeptical about China’s economic enormousness in the form of funding for the Belt and Road, China’s more lenient approach to authoritarianism and human rights abuses, and the sense that US involvement will ebb and flow. Intrigued, they are strengthening their ties with China. Based on their own interests and politics. This view is reflected in a recent Venezuelan op-ed in favor of working with “assertive pandas” over “distracted eagles.”

Venezuela’s involvement in the ILRS may therefore be symbolic, but it still suggests a different future picture of China taking the lead both on the planet and on the final frontier.

Anna Prince is a Research Analyst Intern at BluePath Labs. She is studying Linguistics and Government at Georgetown University.