China’s initial muted criticism of the abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro reflects a hard reality, says Prof Raj Verma, non-resident scholar at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.
“We can see that China supplied arms but it did not say that it would militarily protect in anyway Venezuela, because Venezuela is not the core interest or of China per se. So I do not see any military action taken by China to, to recover its investments.
China has a strategic partnership with Venezuela but that does not require Beijing acting as a security guarantor. That is not China’s way. In fact it is something China would be careful to avoid, Prof Verma said.
“China has invested a lot of money in Latin America. And but to be honest, all these countries have something in common with China against the Western liberal order. But, things might change in the future, depending on, what the US administration does with other countries in Latin America, which are a little bit towards the left.”
As for arguments that China may see the US action in Venezuela as setting a precedent for similar action in Taiwan, Prof Verma argues that the two situations are completely different. China sees Taiwan as a domestic issue, something dating back from the civil war that the Communists waged against Nationalists.
There is also a huge asymmetry in military capabilities. Taiwan’s military although small is well equipped with the latest of US equipment so whether its regime change that Beijing may seek, or leadership change. it’s going to be very difficult.
To those who believe that the $11 billion Trump arms package for Taiwan signals Washington’s commitment, Verma notes that “Initially, he was not keen on a military intervention in, in Venezuela, but after six months, he just made a point to do it. So everything is up in the air at this point in time.
“But we need to understand, that the repercussions for China might be much much higher as compared to the effect of the US action in Venezuela. We also need to take into account the fact that at this point in time, the Chinese military is not ready to occupy Taiwan.”
Tune in for more in this conversation with Prof Raj Verma, non-resident scholar at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.
Thirty eight years in journalism, widely travelled, history buff with a preference for Old Monk Rum. Current interest/focus spans China, Technology and Trade. Recent reads: Steven Colls Directorate S and Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon. Netflix/Prime video junkie. Loves animal videos on Facebook. Reluctant tweeter.
