‘China could say the same thing in Asia’: Expert on Rubio’s ‘won’t allow rivals in Western Hemisphere’ remark

China could very well say what US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said – about “adversaries and rivals” not being allowed in the Western Hemisphere – in Asia, said Asia expert, and advisor to former secretaries, Evan A Feigenbaum. He argued that if the tables were turned, the US would reject it and bat for the agency of Asian countries.

“China could say the same thing in Asia verbatim ("This is Asia. This is where we live — and we're not going to allow Asia to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of China") — and the United States would reject it wholesale, as well it should because countries in Asia have agency and want the United States to be around for their security and optionality,” he said. “That's international politics, folks. But let's not pretend the US is consistent and that contradictions and hypocrisy in US foreign policy aren't a thing,” said the expert.

This comes after Marco Rubio told Kristen Welker of NBC’s Meet the Press that the US does not need Venezuelan oil as it has enough of its own. “What we’re not going to allow is for the oil industry in Venezuela to be controlled by adversaries of the United States. You have to understand – why does China need their oil? Why does Russia need their oil? Why does Iran need their oil? They’re not even in this continent. This is the Western Hemisphere. This is where we live, and we’re not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be a base of operation for adversaries, competitors, and rivals of the United States. It’s as simple as that.”

Rubio said the US got involved in the Venezuelan matter because of how it applies and has a direct impact on America. He said America cannot allow a country in their hemisphere to become a crossroad for the activities of all of its adversaries.

The Secretary of State said that the US cannot allow a country to have the people in charge of the military and policy openly cooperate with drug trafficking organisations.

“We’ve seen how our adversaries all over the world are exploiting and extracting resources from Africa, from every other continent. They’re not going to do it in the Western Hemisphere,” he said.

Rubio added, “The number one fear that Brazil has, that Colombia has, that all these countries in the region have about what’s happening in Venezuela and our involvement is they’re afraid of another mass migration event. That’s what they fear. This is deeply destabilising stuff. It’s not going to continue to happen. They are not going to come from outside of our hemisphere, destabilize our region in our own backyard, and us have to pay the price for it. Not under President Trump.”

He also criticised “experts” for building a phobia around the US’ actions. He said very few know about Venezuela or the Western Hemisphere. “Venezuela looks nothing like Libya. It looks nothing like Iraq. It looks nothing like Afghanistan. It looks nothing like the Middle East other than the Iranian agents that are running through there plotting against America. Okay? These are Western countries with long traditions and ties to the United States. So this is nothing like that. So I think people need to stop ascribing the apples and oranges here, the apples of the Middle East to the oranges of the Western Hemisphere.”