Prof. Zhang Weiwei has been invited to speak at the EIR Emergency Roundtable Dialogue organized by the LaRouche movement. The following transcript is derived from his remarks at the dialogue, held on Monday, January 12, at 10:00 a.m. (ET):

Today, we attend this emergency roundtable dialogue to condemn in the strongest possible terms the outrageous act perpetrated by the Trump administration against Venezuela—the arbitrary arrest of President Maduro. This brazen act constitutes a flagrant violation of international law, a gross infringement upon Venezuela’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a dangerous precedent that erodes the very bedrock of the UN-Charter-based post-war international order.

The United States has a long and shameful record of unilateral military interventions: from Iraq to Libya to Panama, the list stretches on, and each of these reckless ventures has brought nothing but chaos, human suffering, and protracted instability to the countries and peoples of these countries.

This latest provocation has sparked worldwide condemnation. China has denounced the U.S. action which constitutes a serious breach of international law and a blatant encroachment on Venezuela’s inherent rights—including its unshakable sovereignty over all its natural resources and economic activities. China firmly supports the government and people of Venezuela in safeguarding their sovereignty, security, and legitimate rights and interests and supports regional countries in upholding the status of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace.

It’s also necessary to place the US act within the broader geopolitical landscape, as it reflects the recently revised U.S. security strategy. Breaking away from the costly pursuit of global hegemony, the Trump administration now embraces what became known as the Monroe Doctrine, seeking to expand U.S. sway over the Western Hemisphere as arbitrarily defined by Donald Trump —spanning from Venezuela to Panama to Greenland and beyond.

Yet in my view, this act is also extremely short-sighted and will be self-defeating. It has already inflicted heavy damage to U.S. soft power, to its alliance system and the very foundations of the so-called “rules-based international order” . It also serves as a sobering wake-up call for America’s allies. For years, they joined the US in pursuing a so-called “values-based” foreign policy, using humanitarian intervention as a fig leaf to orchestrate color revolutions in many sovereign states and caused untold suffering to many peoples in the world in flagrant violation of the UN Charter.

We roundly condemn both the Trump administration’s brazen flouting of the UN Charter and the long-standing Western practice of waging wars against other nations under various high-sounding pretexts.

The international legal system anchored in the UN Charter stands as a historic milestone in safeguarding global peace and development, forged from the bitter lessons of the two world wars that claimed the lives of tens of millions. It is incumbent upon all nations to strive collectively to uphold the post-war international order underpinned by the UN Charter, and resolutely reject any attempt to erode its foundational bedrock—be it the Trump-style brazen actions, or the so-called Western liberal model of military interventions under various excuses, or the dangerous resurgence of Japanese militarism, a force that inflicted untold havoc on China and numerous other Asian countries.

On January 6, the Chinese government announced a comprehensive ban on the export of all dual-use items to Japan—a key U.S. ally in Asia. This encompasses all goods, technologies, and services that could be diverted for military purposes. China will never tolerate the revival of Japanese militarism, no matter what excuses are used or what external support is secured. Our stance is rooted in an unwavering commitment to defending the UN Charter and the Charter-based post-war international order. This sweeping ban may also be a warning to the United States: any moves that harm China’s legitimate interests, whether in Venezuela or other parts of the world, will elicit forceful responses from China.

Let all peace-loving countries across the globe unite as one in our common struggle against any and all acts that trample on the post-war international order anchored in the UN Charter. Let us take all possible means to curb any such acts and defend the fundamental principles of justice and equity that underpin our shared global governance framework.

With this, I thank you for your attention.

Editor: Zhiyu Wang