China Rejects TIAR Activation Against Venezuela

The Chinese government reiterated Monday its rejection of any external intervention against Venezuela, the latest being the Organization of American States’ attempt to activate the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR).

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“On the issue of Venezuela, China adheres to the United Nations Charter and the basic norms that govern international relations and believes that the problem must be resolved through inclusive political dialogue and negotiation within the framework of the Venezuelan Constitution,” Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

China joined Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico and Uruguay’s strong dismissal to a possible engagement in military actions against the Latin American nation, reaffirming that Beijing opposes any form of interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela, including military intervention. 

On Sept. 11, Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Arreaza denounced the initiative, pushed by a group of United States-backed regional governments. 

"It is painful that countries which were invaded by United States troops and whose peoples were massacred by the application of the TIAR, endorse today a similar crime against a brother country, in a clearly invalid session of the OAS," Arreaza’s statement read.

At the OAS assembly, 12 countries voted in favor of the implementation of an initiative against Venezuela, saying the country represents "a threat to the security of the region," after Colombia accused Venezuela of allegedly protecting armed groups within its territory. 

Venezuela has rejected the accusation and pointed out the lack of evidence, affirming these allegations are just an excuse for military intervention.

The TIAR is an agreement signed in September 1947 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It functions as a mutual mechanism of defense between member countries of the OAS. The treaty was imposed on the region by the United States within the context of the Cold War, with the aim of legitimizing military interventions in Latin America for ideological reasons.

The South American country withdrew from the treaty in 2013 together with other nations pertaining to the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), including Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua.

However, the opposition-held Venezuela National Assembly, in contempt and suspended since 2016, illegally and unconstitutionally approved the reincorporation to the treaty on July 23, 2019. 

A flagrant violation of the Constitution, as Article 236 states that the public figure whose the attributions and obligations are to “celebrate and ratify treaties and international agreements” is the president and not legislators.