 |
Click
HERE for yesterday's dispute settlement quote from Geneva.
|
|
A FRIEND IN NEED: CHINA IN VENEZUELA
""Latin American affairs are not a certain country's exclusive business, nor is Latin America a certain country's backyard."
Geng Shuang
Spokesman, China Ministry of Foreign Affairs
March 26, 2019
|
Geng Shuang is the spokesman for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and recently he has had a lot to say about Venezuela. In a briefing two weeks ago, he was telling reporters that the problems of Venezuela needed to be solved by the people of Venezuela, without outside interference, especially from "a certain country," namely, the United States. Yesterday, he was busy denying reports that, in addition to other aid, China has sent some 120 soldiers to Venezuela. We'll get to all of that in a moment.
Inasmuch as Venezuela was the topic of yesterday's entry, we shall keep the recap of the situation short. It all centers on the presidency of Nicolás Maduro, the man who succeeded Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela. A few key dates might be helpful:
March 5, 2013 The death of President Chávez is announced, and Nicolás Maduro takes over.
April 14, 2013 Mr. Maduro wins a special election to succeed Hugo Chávez.
May 20, 2018 Mr. Maduro is proclaimed the winner of a second election, but there are questions and challenges. For starters, the election was held four months ahead of schedule and several opposition parties were banned from participating.
January 10, 2019 Mr. Maduro is inaugurated and begins his second term.
January 11, 2019 The President of Venezuela's National Assembly,
Juan Guaido, expresses his willingness to assume the responsibilities of Venezuela's Interim President. That is, in effect, his duty when there is a vacancy in the office of the president, and in the view of the National Assembly there is now such a vacancy.
At Present The United States, Australia, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, and most of Latin America support Juan Guaido. Russia, China, and Turkey are backing Nicolás Maduro.
On the matter of foreign troops in Venezuela, the Russians have been quite open about the fact that they have soldiers there. Roughly 100 landed in Caracas over the weekend of March 24. As for the Chinese, well, as we have said, reports vary. Some say that 120 members of the Peoples Liberation Army landed on the Venezuelan island of Margarita this past Sunday. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that is wrong.
|
We should note here that of those coming to Mr. Maduro's aid, China is the major trading partner. In Venezuela's list of trading partners - both as customers and suppliers - China is in the number 2 spot, right after the United States.
To be sure there is more than trade at play here, and a lot will depend on the events of the next several weeks, whether, for example, Venezuela's economic slide abates, and whether political tensions ease or get worse. We are not optimistic.
***
In the meantime, we'll indulge in a brief historical reflection. References to Latin America as America's backyard always go back to the Monroe Doctrine. Our understanding is that, though not yet labeled as such, the doctrine found its first formal expression in
President Monroe's message to Congress of December 2, 1823. Ironically, the first relevant passage dealt not with Latin America but with Russia. That, of course, was a time when Alaska was part of the Russian Empire. It was Russian America. It was in discussing U.S.-Russia relations that President Monroe declared:
[T]he occasion has been judged proper for asserting, as a principle in which the rights and interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers.
The meat of the message, of course, was President Monroe's warning to the European powers not to interfere with the newly independent states of Latin America. As for his recommended
modus vivendi, he wrote:
It is still the true policy of the United States to leave the parties [the countries of Latin America] to themselves, in the hope that other powers will pursue the same course.
We realize that we are glossing over almost 200 years of history here, but, even today, we see more merit than offense in that language.
|
China Takes on U.S. Over Venezuela is a Newsweek Article of March 26, which highlights a briefing that day by Geng Shuang. This was the source for today's featured quote.
The Monroe Doctrine is inevitably referenced in any discussion of U.S.-Latin American relations. The link is to President Monroe's message to Congress of December 2, 1823, which contains the first clear expression of that doctrine.
U.S. Chides Russia is a Wall Street Journal article with reference to the estimated 100 Russian military personnel now in Venezuela.
Nicolas Maduro is the Wikipedia entry for Mr. Maduro, which includes a fairly succinct history of his occupancy of Venezuela's highest office.
PLA in Venezuela takes you to a report to the effect that they are there.
China Disagrees highlights a briefing by Mr. Geng in which he explains that no, China has not sent troops to Venezuela.
How the World Lines Up is a map showing the position of different countries on the question of who is the rightful president of Venezuela.
|
| TO GET THE TTALK QUOTES IN YOUR INBOX
Or Other GBD Notices, click below.
|
|
©2019 The Global Business Dialogue, Inc.
1717 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 1025
Washington, DC 20006
Tel: (202) 463-5074
R. K. Morris, Editor
Joanne Thornton, Associate Editor
|
|
|
|
|
|
