Venezuela crisis: how Trump’s ‘Donroe’ doctrine could challenge China’s Latin America ties

China’s influence in Latin America may be significantly tested by the US revival of the Monroe Doctrine, as Washington’s attack on Venezuela is set to have a chilling effect on the region’s engagement with Beijing, analysts warn.

In a surprise precision operation on Saturday, the US military struck Venezuela, captured its leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, and placed them in detention in New York.

Without giving a timetable for elections, US President Donald Trump said the US would run Venezuela and become a major presence in its oil industry.

The attack, the most direct US military action in Latin America in nearly four decades, is the latest move by the Trump administration to revive the Monroe Doctrine – a 19th-century policy that warned European powers against meddling in the newly independent nations of the Americas – in this new era of great power competition.

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The US has long viewed China’s presence in Latin America as a threat to its interests and security. The revival of the Monroe Doctrine – which Trump has labelled the “Donroe” doctrine – builds on measures already taken during Trump’s second term, with Washington moving aggressively to roll back Chinese influence in its backyard.

South China Morning Post