China demands US release Maduro: Details of the crisis and Rodriguez's appointment
In a serious diplomatic escalation reflecting the depth of the global geopolitical crisis, the People’s Republic of China on Sunday demanded that the United States immediately and unconditionally release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, following Washington’s swift military operation in the capital Caracas that resulted in his arrest and transfer to US territory.
China's position: A blatant violation of international law
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded statement calling on the US administration to guarantee the physical and personal safety of President Maduro and his wife, stressing the need to “cease attempts to overthrow the Venezuelan government by force.” Beijing described the US operation as a “clear and blatant violation of international law” and the principles of the UN Charter, which prohibit interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.
This Chinese position is consistent with Beijing’s foreign policy, which has long opposed unilateral sanctions and military interventions to change regimes. China, along with Russia, is one of the most prominent international allies of the Maduro regime, and it has economic ties and huge investments in the energy sector in Venezuela.
Delcy Rodriguez assumes interim presidency
Domestically in Venezuela, constitutional institutions moved to fill the presidential vacuum and avert a complete collapse of the state. The Supreme Court issued an order appointing Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim president. The court's Constitutional Chamber explained that Rodríguez, as the constitutionally mandated official, would assume all the powers and duties of the president to ensure "the continuity of administration and the overall defense of the nation.".
What is striking about the judicial decision is that the judges did not declare Maduro “permanently absent,” a precise legal description that aims to avoid activating the constitutional article that mandates early elections within 30 days, thus giving the ruling regime time to sort things out in light of this political shock.
Background to the conflict and Maduro's arrival in New York
These developments come as the culmination of years of entrenched hostility between Washington and Caracas, with the United States accusing Maduro and his inner circle of involvement in “narco-terrorism” and corruption, and offering huge financial rewards for information leading to his arrest.
On the ground, international news agencies documented the arrival of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday at Stewart International Airport in northern New York, where he appeared surrounded by US security personnel after being transported from Caracas. He is scheduled to be flown by helicopter to New York City to face charges in a US court related to drug trafficking, a historic precedent that could redraw the map of alliances in Latin America.
