China was foremost among the countries that condemned the U.S. invasion of Venezuela. The Chinese Foreign Minister recently made a transit visit to Sri Lanka, during which he held bilateral discussions with Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath. According to the statement released after the meeting, the Chinese Foreign Minister raised the issue of the U.S. invasion of Venezuela. The joint communiqué issued following the meeting between the two foreign ministers made this clear.
“Wang said that, in the face of an increasingly complex and volatile international situation, China will firmly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, especially small and medium-sized countries; uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and international law; and work with like-minded countries to oppose the resurgence of the ‘law of the jungle’, resist all forms of power politics and bullying, and defend multilateralism and international fairness and justice.”
Subsequently, Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath held a telephone conversation with the Venezuelan Foreign Minister. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil later shared a statement about this phone call on his Telegram channel.
“The Minister of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Yván Gil, spoke this Friday—via telephone—with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Overseas Employment of Sri Lanka, Wijitha Herath, from whom he received expressions of support from his government for the Venezuelan people, it was reported on the portal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”
“The show of solidarity from the South Asian country comes after the attack against our political and territorial sovereignty and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores,” the Venezuelan Foreign Minister stressed in a post on his Telegram channel.
During the dialogue, the diplomats reaffirmed their shared commitment to upholding international law and strengthening a bilateral agenda based on reciprocity and solidarity.
With regard to the U.S. invasion of Venezuela, South Asian countries were hesitant to condemn the United States openly. India noted its concern over the matter but did not issue a formal condemnation. Nepal did release such a statement. Pakistan declared that the issue should be resolved through dialogue. The Maldives remained silent. In Bangladesh, leftist parties condemned the U.S. invasion, but the government did not release any official statement.
However, immediately after the invasion, the JVP condemned it and issued a statement. Later, the Leader of the House and MP Bimal Ratnayake also condemned the United States in Parliament. It was against this backdrop that the telephone conversation between Foreign Minister Wijitha Herath and the Venezuelan Foreign Minister took place.
No other South Asian country is known to have engaged in discussions with the Venezuelan Foreign Minister. This may be due to concerns over former President Trump’s tariff policies. In this context, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister deserves recognition for his courage in holding talks with the Venezuelan Foreign Minister. Nevertheless, how the United States will interpret this discussion remains uncertain. If the Foreign Minister engaged in this dialogue after consulting with China—if that is indeed the case—the American reaction is unlikely to be favourable.
