Monday, January 5, 2026 - China’s foreign minister has said
Beijing cannot accept any country acting as the “world’s judge” following the
capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States.
“We have never believed that any country can act as the
world’s police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world’s
judge,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar
during a meeting in Beijing, referring to what he described as the “sudden
developments in Venezuela” without directly naming the United States.
Wang said the sovereignty and security of all countries must
be fully protected under international law, in his first public remarks since
images of the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed emerged on
Saturday.
Maduro is currently being held at a detention centre in New
York and is expected to appear in court on Monday to face drug-related charges.
China has sought in recent years to position itself as a
major diplomatic power, a goal it highlighted after brokering a surprise
rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023 and pledging to play a
constructive role in global conflict zones. Analysts say Beijing’s growing
confidence has been reinforced by its willingness to confront Washington in
trade negotiations.
However, President Donald Trump’s statement that the United
States would oversee Venezuela’s government for the time being has put strain
on the “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” China and Venezuela
agreed to in 2023, marking nearly five decades of diplomatic relations.
“It was a big blow to China. We wanted to look like a
dependable friend to Venezuela,” a Chinese government official briefed on
recent high-level contacts said, referring to meetings held just hours before
Maduro’s capture.
China has provided Venezuela with a significant economic lifeline since U.S. and allied sanctions were tightened in 2017. Customs data show China purchased about $1.6 billion worth of Venezuelan goods in 2024, nearly half of which was crude oil. Chinese state-owned oil companies had invested an estimated $4.6 billion in Venezuela by 2018, according to data tracking overseas corporate investment
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