Edward Snowden 'leaves Hong Kong on Moscow flight'

[Lugal Zaggesi]

155. Ecuador and Venezuela are both small, weak countries

15.5 million people in Ecuador
28.5 million people in Venezuela

If the CIA wants to assassinate Snowden, they could do it in either country.

As to "applying pressure" on their trade lifelines - I doubt it would be much harder to blockade Ecuador in the Pacific with ships out of San Diego than it would be to blockade Venezuela in the Atlantic - but both flauntings of International Law would have a high price in the waning days of the American Empire. Maybe not in the next 10 years, but certainly in the new order which will come about this century.

As to "aircraft carriers", I think China is not going to follow the U.S. path of WWII and post-WWII military technology.
They are already heavily invested in leapfrog "carrier killer" missiles, like the Dongfeng-21D:

http://blogs.defensenews.com/intercepts/2013/01/china-tests-carrier-killer-df-21d-missile-sinks-us-aircraft-carrier/
http://thediplomat.com/flashpoints-blog/2013/06/12/why-china-may-limit-carrier-killers-range/

If the US tried to blockade or sink Chinese merchant vessels in the equatorial Pacific or Atlantic, there could be severe consequences to American fleets and military bases in Asia - South Korea, Japan, Guam and Taiwan are all within reach of the Dongfeng carrier-killer. Non-nuclear death from above - single-shot kill.
Military analysts say China probably won't outright challenge the USA before 2020, while it is getting ready to be a Superpower... yet sometimes emotions run high.