Venezuela anti-govt protests: Familiar geopolitical fault lines emerge
MOSCOW: Russia, China, Iran, Syria and Cuba have come down on one side. The US, Canada, and countries in Western Europe are on the other.
As the crisis in oil-rich Venezuela reaches a new boiling point - with embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro facing a challenge from opposition leader Juan Guaido - the geopolitical fault lines look familiar.
US President Donald Trump and secretary of state Mike Pompeo issued statements on Wednesday proclaiming US recognition of Guaido, saying the US would take all diplomatic and economic measures necessary to support a transition to a new government. Canada said it was recognising Guaido as the interim president, and British foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt called him “the right person” to take Venezuela forward.
But Washington’s adversaries are issuing warnings against US intervention. Russian officials have called the move a “coup” orchestrated by the US.
China’s foreign ministry also sternly urged against interference by Washington in Venezuela. Beijing’s allies, including Iran and Syria, followed suit.
In the last decade, China has given Venezuela $65 billion in loans, cash and investment. Caracas owes Beijing more than $20 billion. China’s only hope of being repaid lie in Venezuela ramping up oil production.
The Russian state-controlled oil company Rosneft has invested heavily in Venezuela, and its chief executive, Igor Sechin, visited Caracas in November, pressuring the Maduro government to make good on its commitments to his company.