Foreign
“New Monroe Doctrine” never needed in today’s world
By Huan Yuping, People’s Daily
A series of recent actions taken by the United States against Venezuela—from military strikes and forcible capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, to open declarations of intent to “run” Venezuela and gain control over its oil resources—have laid bare the underlying logic of domination and power politics that define the so-called “new Monroe Doctrine.”
These measures not only constitute a blatant violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty, but also challenge and undermine the international law and basic norms governing international relations enshrined in the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
I.
The “new Monroe Doctrine” is by no means a novel concept. Rather, it represents the continuation and a dangerous escalation of the United States’ traditional hegemonic policy in the contemporary era.
An article published on the website of Spain’s El País observed, “By intervening in Venezuela, Washington is reviving the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine,” noting that the U.S. approach amounts to a “gunboat diplomacy 2.0.”
At the end of 2025, the White House released the 2025 National Security Strategy, explicitly stating: “After years of neglect, the United States will reassert and enforce the Monroe Doctrine to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere, and to protect our homeland and our access to key geographies throughout the region.”
Recent actions, including military action against Venezuela, threats directed towards Latin American countries like Cuba, and overt territorial ambitions expressed toward Greenland, a Danish territory, have given the international community a clearer picture of the trajectory of U.S. policy and heightened concerns over the regional and global consequences that this “new Monroe Doctrine” may bring.
What exactly does the “new Monroe Doctrine” entail? The United States’ own words and deeds provide a stark answer.
Its objective is to be ensuring that the Western Hemisphere becomes what U.S. politicians have termed “our hemisphere,” subordinating territories, resources, and sea lanes of regional countries to U.S. interests, and aligning their domestic and foreign policies with the United States’ will.
The United States is discarding all pretenses and openly relying on brute-force methods, including military strikes, intimidation and coercion, economic pressure, and efforts to instigate regime change. Guided by doctrines prioritizing “might makes right” and “America First,” the United States demonstrates a willingness to pursue its self-serving interests with minimal restraint.
What will the “new Monroe Doctrine” bring to the region? History offers a clear warning.
“All the way back to 1823, James Monroe established the Monroe Doctrine. You are a part of it now, you are a part of that legacy.” A U.S. politician recently declared. This amounts to an open admission that today’s United States is inheriting and perpetuating a historical tradition of intervention and exploition that once caused immense suffering to the peoples of Latin America.
From seizing more than half of Mexico’s territory in 1848, to occupying Haiti with troops in 1915, to invading the Dominican Republic, Grenada, and Panama during the Cold War, the record is long and grim. As The Guardian has pointed out, “Almost every country in the region has experienced some form of U.S. intervention, overt or covert.”
Historically, Monroe Doctrine implementation reduced Latin America to a long-term “strategic backyard,” a “supplier of raw materials,” a “dumping ground for goods,” and a “cultural colony” of the United States. The development trajectories of Latin American countries were repeatedly disrupted, and their peoples endured extensive suffering.
As Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano revealed in his book Open Veins of Latin America, this pattern of “externalized development” remains a recurring script: the underground wealth of other nations must fuel the U.S. hegemony.
II.
When assessing the current situation, a U.S. scholar has asserted that Venezuela has become a springboard for the 21st-century Monroe Doctrine.
As the United States reasserts the Western Hemisphere as a foreign policy priority, Latin America and the Caribbean are likely to face potential disruptions to peace, stability, and development, with regional autonomy significantly constrained.
The United States has justified its increased military presence in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific as part of its efforts to combat “narco-terrorism,” yet its recent escalation to direct military action against Venezuela highlights a troubling pattern of manufacturing security crises in the region. Such interventions pose a significant threat to the Latin American people’s pursuit of peaceful lives. Through overt interference in the internal affairs of Latin American nations, the United States has intensified political divisions, creating serious risks to the region’s political stability.
By imposing asset seizures and tariffs, the United States is siphoning development resources from the entire region northward, depriving regional countries of their right to independent development and severely impacting local economies and livelihoods.
By stoking confrontation between so-called “pro-U.S.” and “autonomous” camps in the region, the United States undermines regional unity and self-reliance, obstructing regional integration eventually.
The harm caused by the “new Monroe Doctrine” extends far beyond Latin America. Following the U.S. military action against Venezuela, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that such actions had set a “dangerous precedent.”
At its core, the doctrine represents a fundamental clash between hegemony and justice, “spheres of influence” and sovereign equality, and unilateral dominance and mutual respect. It directly contradicts the international law and basic norms governing international relations, violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the foundation of international relations, and threatens to undermine fairness and justice on a global scale.
When the UN Security Council convened an emergency meeting on the U.S. military action against Venezuela, U.S. politicians responded that “they didn’t care what the UN says,” bluntly exposing the United States’ contempt for the UN, for multilateralism, and for the international order.
Undermining international norms endangers all nations. Hegemony, by its nature, does not restrains itself. By openly placing brute force above justice, it breeds insecurity and instability across the world.
Indeed, the expansionist ambitions and predatory mindset now on display in the United States reflect a striking sense of being “out of sync with the times,” alarming and unsettling the global community.
Some analysts pointed out that the “new Monroe Doctrine” is not a revivial but a “dangerous escalation.” The Washington Post has warned that if such barbaric behavior becomes normalized, the consequences would be disastrous, with “might makes right” becoming the sole rule.
III.
The world does not need a “new Monroe Doctrine,” and history will inevitably consign it to the dustbin.
The UN Charter clearly states that “The Organization is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members,” and that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the UN.”
In today’s international relations, sovereign equality is the prerequisite for peaceful coexistence, while the rule of international law is the fundamental safeguard and the backbone of fairness and justice. These most basic principles underpin the long-term peace and stability of the world and must be jointly upheld by the international community.
In response to the U.S. action against Venezuela and the rising “new Monroe Doctrine,” the strongest and broadest consensus within the international community is to defend the international law and basic norms governing international relations, and to uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
Voices from around the world have noted that “the United States is willing to disregard long-established international legal principles to achieve its own goals,” that it “poses a serious threat to the international order established after World War II,” and that it has “effectively erased the very existence of international law.”
The “new Monroe Doctrine” and the global condemnation it has received act as a mirror, reflecting both the limits of hegemonic powers’ global expansion and their reckless use of localized force. It also underscores the ongoing shift toward a multipolar world and the democratization of international relations—along with the inevitable twists and turns along this path.
Temporary advantage lies in power, but lasting victory lies in justice. History moves forward, and justice will ultimately prevail over brute force. In the face of hegemony, the international community must firmly stand on the right side of history, jointly safeguard international fairness and justice, and ensure that righteousness prevails and the world remains upright and bright.
By Li Gang, People’s Daily
As artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates the transformation of global industries, a new form of digital trade is emerging in the southern Chinese city of Shantou: exporting computing services measured not in physical goods, but in AI tokens.
In late April, Shantou, Guangdong province completed full-chain verification for what has become known as “token exports” — a model in which computing power remains within China while high-value AI services are delivered to overseas users. Within just one month, average daily token usage surged from 100 million to the tens-of-billions level.
The practical application of this model is already well underway.
Recently, when a user in Singapore activated an AI-powered toy and gave a simple command — “Tell me a fairy tale” — the spoken command traveled through the network directly to a dedicated overseas computing zone inside a computing center in Shantou.
Local deployed AI agents wrap up speech recognition in under one second and craft custom story content, firing the finished audio back to the Singapore-based toy device in as little as 0.1 seconds.
The user repeated the process multiple times, eventually listening to five stories in total. Approximately 100,000 tokens were consumed during the interaction and billed in real time at a rate of 2 yuan ($0.3) per one million tokens.
When payment arrived, a complete commercial cycle was achieved, marking the successful realization of Shantou’s “token export” model.
Tokens represent the smallest discrete calculation unit for large AI models to process information. They have become a key indicator of intelligent computing capacity and, increasingly, a new carrier of value in the digital economy.
Inside the China (Shantou) Pilot Zone for Economic and Cultural Cooperation with Overseas Chinese, token exports are already transforming the economics of electricity.
Today, overseas users across multiple countries and regions in Southeast Asia are accessing token services generated in Shantou.
“Data flows in from abroad and all processed outputs head back overseas, with zero compromise to end-user experience,” explained Cai Qichen, an engineer at the Shantou Branch of wireless carrier China Mobile. “Token costs have already been integrated into product service packages, making future usage more convenient.”
According to estimates from toy manufacturer SHOWMAC based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, using Shantou’s computing services reduces costs by more than 30 percent compared with directly purchasing overseas computing resources.
Meanwhile, inside computing centers, turning electricity into AI tokens delivers dramatic value appreciation. A kilowatt-hour of electricity, which comes at a cost of roughly 0.5 yuan($0.07) , can be transformed through AI computing into tokens and then exported at a price of 11 yuan($1.6), representing a twenty-two-fold increase.
As one of eastern Guangdong’s major offshore wind power bases, Shantou has already connected 1.2 million kilowatts of installed capacity to China’s power grid.
The electricity itself does not need to cross borders. Computing power remains within China. What gets exported instead are high-value digital services, turning electricity into a form of hard currency for cross-border digital trade.
Ultra-low network latency forms the technical backbone making token exports feasible.
“More than half of China’s outbound bandwidth carried by international submarine cables lands in Shantou, and the city is also home to five undersea trunk cables linking destinations worldwide,” said Hong Zhebin, chief technology officer of the international submarine cable landing station operated by the Shantou branch of wireless carrier China Telecom.
“The latency between Shantou and Singapore is only 32.7 milliseconds, quicker than the blink of an eye,” Hong added.
Hong Yu with the Shantou Branch of China Mobile, added that Shantou’s overseas computing services offer stable response speeds, regulatory compliance, and substantial cost advantages.
“Our pricing is only 1/3 to 1/2 that of mainstream international platforms, while customer retention exceeds 70 percent,” Hong told People’s Daily.
Yet building a complete end-to-end system is only the starting point. Shantou is now attempting to transform itself from a transit city for digital infrastructure into an ecosystem hub.
Leading computing companies and developers are gathering rapidly. Pilot platforms have passed acceptance reviews. Commercial closed loops have already emerged in applications ranging from AI toys to intelligent manufacturing, with large-scale operations expected soon.
Shantou’s Chenghai district has long been known as the “toy capital of China.” As AI becomes increasingly integrated with the toy industry, the city has launched an AI toy innovation center and the Shantou AI Laboratory, striving to become the “AI toy capital of China.”
At the exhibition space of one local tech firm sits Amy, an AI desktop robot capable of fluid multilingual conversation.
“It is equipped with a multilingual intelligent voice interaction system capable of real-time recognition and conversation in dozens of languages,” said the company’s general manager Chen Ruifeng.
The technology has already been integrated into multiple AI toy products exported to countries including the United Kingdom, Russia, and Japan.
Shantou’s token export model allows AI toy manufacturers to access domestic large language models at costs far below those of overseas alternatives.
“The cost of using overseas AI models can be dozens of times higher than domestic models,” Chen said. The company’s AI toys currently run on Chinese large models including DeepSeek and Doubao.
“Token exports have significantly increased both product value-added and international competitiveness,” he said.
The Shantou branch of wireless carrier China Unicom, together with a Guangdong-based tech firm, has established dedicated lines connecting Shantou and Vietnam, delivering cross-border computing services to Aachen Sv, a Chinese-invested fiber-optic company operating in Vietnam.
Vietnamese users accessing large models such as DeepSeek and Qwen experience extremely low latency with zero packet loss. “In less than a month, more than a dozen companies have approached us for consultations,” an employee of the Guangdong-based tech firm said.
Meanwhile, the Guangdong branch of China Mobile has launched an OpenClaw intelligent agent framework, providing integrated AI service packages that allow traditional toys to complete intelligent upgrades in as little as 15 days.
From toys to textiles, cross-border e-commerce, and high-end manufacturing, tokens are increasingly becoming the digital fuel powering Shantou’s industrial upgrading.
By Song Haoxin, People’s Daily
What if museum visitors could truly interact with cultural relics rather than merely observe them through glass displays? At the Sanxingdui Museum in southwest China’s Sichuan province, a specially designed interactive hall is revolutionizing cultural engagement.
Within this 1,300-square-meter space, nearly every exhibit invites touch, operation, or participation. Visitors immerse themselves in installations inspired by the ancient Shu civilization, blending education with entertainment.
By trying on replicas of headwear on bronze statues discovered in Sanxingdui Ruins, for example, visitors can not only take photos of themselves but also learn about the symbolic meanings behind different headpieces.
Guests can don replicas of bronze statue headwear from the Sanxingdui Ruins, learning their symbolic meanings while capturing photos. Augmented reality allows dancing alongside virtual Sanxingdui figures for social media sharing. A creation zone even enables “time travel” to experience ancient bronze-casting and construction techniques.
These innovations transform traditional museum visits, offering deeper cultural understanding through hands-on interaction. “This hall emerged from extensive brainstorming,” explained Zhu Yarong, deputy director of the management committee of the Sanxingdui Ruins site.
“We’re transitioning from passive relic viewing to interactive engagement, bridging the gap between audiences and history.”
Previously, museum experiences were largely one-directional with limited engagement. Visitors viewed relics through display cases, usually stopping mainly to take photographs, with relatively limited forms of engagement. By liberating artifacts from display cases into interactive settings, Sanxingdui is pioneering a shift from didactic presentation to open cultural dialogue.
Traditional exhibition spaces remain popular, while digital innovations attract growing interest. A VR project employs digital twin technology to recreate 1:1 scale excavation sites — complete with protective shelters and cabins — placing visitors at the archaeological forefront.
Another project, Heaven and Earth Echoes — Sanxingdui Panoramic Sound and Vision Digital Art Theater, features an interactive panoramic LED dome with a diameter of 20 meters and a resolution approaching 16K. The massive dome creates a deeply immersive atmosphere. By waving digital torches in their hands, visitors can trigger sacred birds to circle above them across the dome, experiencing the ancient Shu civilization through an interplay of sound and imagery.
“The digital technology made me feel as if I were racing across the Mamu River. That sense of traveling through time was incredible,” said Hao Yong, a tourist from southwest China’s Chongqing municipality who came specifically to experience a virtual reality program.
From passive observation to active participation, Sanxingdui Museum continues introducing new interactive experiences that transform cultural relics into living carriers of dialogue and engagement, helping keep the sparks of Chinese civilization alive for new generations.
My people of Benue State,
I am not speaking to you today as a politician. I am speaking as a brother whose family was held up by Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa, MKA, when we had no one else to hold onto.
My elder brother, Verem Ukaa-Ikuan, was not just my blood. He was a very dear and close friend to Chief MKA. When my brother fell ill and was diagnosed with liver damage caused by poisoning, MKA didn’t treat it as someone else’s problem. He took it on as his own.
He worked closely with Verem during his time as Attorney General of the Federation, and when the sickness came, he moved immediately. Searches were conducted, and Apollo Hospital in India was earmarked for a liver transplant. Every travel arrangement was made personally by Chief MKA.
But we hit a wall. Verem was too weak to fly a long commercial flight. Only an air ambulance could get him to India alive. At that time, there was only one functional air ambulance in the entire country, owned by Julius Berger. It was completely out of reach for even the most high-profile citizens.
Chief MKA went all out. He did not give excuses. He did not delay. He used every connection and every ounce of influence he had to secure that air ambulance for my brother.
On the day it was secured, Barr. Terna Yaji, his Senior Special Assistant, called me a few minutes after 6pm. He told us to prepare Verem for departure and take him to Makurdi airport very early the following morning. I informed him, my brother passed on at exactly 6 o’clock a few minutes ago. I told Barr. Terna Yaji, and I saw a devastated MKA.
During the burial, Chief MKA was out of the country on national assignment. He was pained that he could not be there physically. His entire team, led by the late Onov Tyuulugh, represented him fully. And his message to us at the burial has never left me:
“If death were law, as the Attorney General, a law would have been made no matter what to ensure Verem will just not die but live forever.”
That is who Mike Kaase Aondoakaa is when nobody is watching. He does not abandon his people. He does not forget. He stood with our family then, and he has stood with us till date.
Now he is asking for the chance to govern Benue State.
Benue needs a governor with a heart like that. A governor who fights for you even when there’s no political gain. A governor who sees you as family, not as a vote.
I am standing with Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa for Governor of Benue State.
For compassion that moves to action.
For loyalty that does not fade.
For leadership that proves itself in the darkest hour.
Join me. Let us give Benue a leader who has already shown what he will do for us.
God bless Chief Mike Kaase Aondoakaa.
God bless Benue State.
Brahms Tor-Ikuan, a beneficiary of MKA’s benevolence writes from Makurdi
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