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China criticises US on capture of Venezuela President Maduro: ‘No country can act as world’s judge’

Beijing has criticised Washington for capturing Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi saying no country should act as the world’s police and warning that the move is a major blow to China–Venezuela relations.

2 min readUpdated: Jan 5, 2026 10:51 AM IST

Beijing warned that Washington’s move has dealt a serious blow to its long-standing partnership with Caracas.

China has criticised the US after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, saying no country should act as the world’s police. (File Photo)

China has criticised the United States after it captured Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, and said that no country should act as the “world’s judge”, news agency Reuters reported.

“We have never believed that any country can act as the world’s police,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Sunday. He said the sovereignty and security of all nations must be respected under international law.

These were Wang’s first public comments since images of Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed shocked Venezuelans on Saturday. Maduro is in a New York detention centre awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges.

Actions by US a blow to China-Venezuela ties, says Chinese official

President Donald Trump has said the US will oversee Venezuela’s government for now. This has put China’s partnership with Caracas under strain. “It was a big blow to China,” a Chinese government official told Reuters.
“We wanted to look like a dependable friend to Venezuela.”

Maduro’s son studied in China in 2024

Maduro’s son visited China’s top-ranking ‌Peking University in 2024, where ‍he enrolled ⁠in 2016, they said, adding they were unsure whether he would return despite years of diplomatic engagement with Caracas around his education and ties ⁠to China.

Also Read | India walks tightrope on US actions in Venezuela: ‘Deep concern,’ need for dialogue

China has helped Venezuela since US sanctions were tightened in 2017. In 2024, China bought about $1.6 billion worth of Venezuelan goods, Reuters reported. Almost half of this was crude oil.

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By 2018, China’s state oil firms had invested around $4.6 billion in Venezuela, according to the American Enterprise Institute.

— with inputs from Reuters

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