New Delhi: In a covert military operation last Saturday (January 3), Washington arrested Venezuela’s former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from Caracas and flew them to the United States. They are facing trial in New York on charges linked to drug trafficking and were produced before a court on Monday (January 5).
The strongest reaction to the American operation came from China. Beijing strongly condemned the action and demanded the immediate release of Maduro.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the US move as a violation of international law. Several countries, including Russia, Brazil and India, expressed concern over the developments and called for a resolution through dialogue.
An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was convened on Monday to discuss the Venezuela situation. The meeting was called at Colombia’s request and was backed by China and Russia.
The arrest of Maduro on the orders of President Donald Trump was the central point of the session. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the move could set a “dangerous precedent”.
China said it opposes such interventions and has consistently maintained this position. Beijing has long criticised military actions carried out without the approval of the UNSC.
In this case, China’s response was especially forceful. Analysts link this to China’s financial exposure and long-term investments in Venezuela’s oil sector.
Russia and China are close partners of Venezuela, a relationship that helped Caracas soften the impact of international sanctions over the years.
China’s Immediate Reaction
Shortly after President Trump announced Maduro’s arrest on Truth Social last Saturday (January 3), China issued its response. Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in India, said, “China strongly condemns the United States’ use of force against a sovereign country and its action against Venezuela’s president. We are deeply shocked by this.”
She added, “Such acts of coercion by the United States seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty and pose a threat to peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
At the UNSC’s emergency session, Beijing’s special envoy criticised the US operation. “As a permanent member of the Security Council, the United States has ignored the most serious concerns of the international community,” said Sun Lei.
He said America had “arbitrarily trampled on Venezuela’s sovereignty, security and its legitimate rights and interests and gravely violated the principle of sovereign equality”. He also said the action breached the principles of non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful settlement of international disputes and rules governing the use of force in international relations.
“We urge the United States to listen to the voice of the international community, abide by international law and the principles of the UN Charter, stop interfering in the sovereignty and security of other countries and return to dialogue instead of pursuing regime change in Venezuela,” Lei said.
He also called for Maduro and his wife to be kept safe and released immediately.
On Sunday, during a meeting in Beijing with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, “No country has the right to act as the world’s policeman or impose its will on others.”
“We never accept that any country can become the world’s police, and we do not accept that any country can claim to be the judge of the world. Under international law, the sovereignty and security of all countries must be fully protected,” he said.
On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all nations to follow international law and the principles of the United Nations. Without naming the United States, he said major powers should “set an example” for the world.
China’s Growing Footprint In Latin America
Over the past two decades, a period when US engagement in Latin America was relatively limited, China has expanded its presence in the region.
In November 2024, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping personally attended the inauguration of the Chancay port on Peru’s coastline, a project built with Beijing’s support.
The $3.5 billion port is seen as a strategic facility that allows trade routes to bypass North America entirely.
China has also pushed its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative deep into the Caribbean region, which is described as America’s traditional backyard.
During the same period, Beijing succeeded in persuading several Latin American countries to withdraw diplomatic recognition from Taiwan and align with China. Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras chose strategic partnerships with Beijing.
Venezuela holds the largest oil reserves in the world. According to Reuters, citing the London-based Energy Institute, Caracas controls nearly 17 percent of global oil reserves, which are around 303 billion barrels. This places it ahead of Saudi Arabia, the leading member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Sanctions have limited Venezuela’s ability to sell its oil freely on global markets. China stepped in during this phase. It is a buyer of Venezuelan oil and is among the few countries that invested directly in the country’s oil sector.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, China accounted for less than 2 percent of Latin America’s total exports in 2000. By 2021, trade between China and Latin America crossed $450 billion.
Chinese state media said this figure reached a record $518 billion in 2024. Some economists estimate that trade could exceed $700 billion by 2035.
China is presently the biggest trading partner in South America and the second largest in all of Latin America, after the United States.
China-Venezuela Ties And Investments
China’s relationship with Venezuela strengthened in the late 1990s after socialist leader Hugo Chávez came to power in 1998. He distanced himself from Washington and openly praised the governance model of the Chinese Communist Party.
After Chávez’s death in 2013, Maduro took over as president and ties with Beijing grew even closer. China invested heavily in Venezuela’s oil refineries and infrastructure. When the United States and its allies tightened sanctions from 2017 onwards, Chinese support became a financial lifeline.
Citing Chinese customs data, Reuters reported that Beijing bought goods worth nearly $1.6 billion from Venezuela in 2024, with oil accounting for almost half of that amount.
According to a 2023 estimate by the American Enterprise Institute, Chinese investors poured $2.1 billion into Venezuela’s oil sector after 2016.
Chinese firms are among the limited number of foreign companies still allowed to operate in the country. State-owned Sinopec Group holds the largest stake in Venezuela’s oil fields.
A Major Setback For Beijing
Hours before Maduro’s arrest, China’s special representative for Latin America and Caribbean affairs Qiu Xiaoqi was in Caracas and had met him.
Reuters quoted a Chinese government official as saying, “This was a big shock for China. We wanted to be seen as a reliable friend of Venezuela.”
China has long described its relationship with Venezuela as an enduring strategic partnership. Maduro’s removal is viewed as a setback for Beijing.
Analysts say China, the world’s second-largest economy and a major global trading power, could play an important role in mobilising criticism of the US action on international platforms.
Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project, told Reuters, “At this point, China has very little concrete help to offer Venezuela, but at the level of rhetoric, its role will be important in influencing opinion against the United States at the United Nations and among developing countries.”
President Trump has also threatened military action against Colombia and Mexico and said Cuba’s communist government appears “ready to fall on its own”.
Analysts believe that Latin American countries, which signed on to President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative, may now reassess how much protection such agreements actually offer during moments of crisis.
