US capture of Venezuela’s Maduro sparks debate on state interference; what China and India’s responses reveal

ENGAGING SOUTH AMERICA

These contrasting reactions reflect not only diplomatic posture, but also different levels of engagement in South America.

China has overtaken the US as the region’s largest trading partner.

India has far less economic engagement with the region, even with Brazil, with which it forms the core of the BRICS grouping alongside China, Russia and South Africa.

“India’s response to such crises generally reflects national interests, and it acts only when these interests are in any way undermined,” said Karthik Nachiappan, a fellow at the NUS’ Institute of South Asian Studies.

India’s direct trade and energy ties with Venezuela have declined sharply in recent years due to US sanctions and shifting global energy flows, he added.

At the same time, India has become far more reliant on Russia for energy supplies, he noted. “So India has become much less economically exposed to Venezuela than in the past.”

The BRICS grouping, which has expanded in recent years, now represents about half of the world’s population and nearly 40 per cent of global economic output.

While some view the bloc as a potential counterweight to the Group of Seven (G7), critics argue that internal divisions – from strategic interests to regional priorities – limit its ability to act cohesively, whether in crisis mediation or coercive diplomacy.

“What we see with BRICS, essentially, is that they are not a military alliance of any sort, but what they seem to be more focused on … is to get away from the US dollar domination of their economies,” said Chong.

“The US move in Venezuela … doesn’t quite take away from those broader concerns,” he added. 

“The response across the BRICS countries has been pretty uneven, (suggesting) that as a grouping, they don’t have a common position on the US taking of Nicolas Maduro.”