Only hours prior to his apprehension by the United States, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro met with a , underscoring the superpower rivalry between Washington and Beijing in the Western Hemisphere.
Maduro welcomed Qiu Xiaoqi, Beijing’s special envoy for Latin American affairs, at the Miraflores Presidential Palace on Friday — reinforcing Caracas’ strategic relationship with China and committing to create what he described as a “multipolar world of development and peace.
In a coincidental development, Trump held a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue on Friday evening.
Several hours later, President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces had and taken Maduro and his spouse into custody, transporting them out of the nation as part of a dramatic intensification of pressure on the beleaguered leader.
When questioned on ‘Fox and Friends’ regarding the Chinese meeting prior to Maduro’s capture, Trump stated Saturday morning: “I have a very good relationship with Xi, and there’s not going to be a problem. They’re going to get oil.”
The U.S. operation appears to represent the most direct American military action against a sitting head of state in Latin America since Panama in 1989, with the Trump administration portraying the capture as the result of months-long accusations that Maduro smuggled drugs into the United States and governed illegitimately.
China, for its part, stated it was “deeply shocked” by the U.S. action.
“China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and its action against its president,” Beijing’s foreign ministry declared in a statement.
“Such hegemonic behavior by the U.S. seriously violates international law, infringes upon Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in . China firmly opposes it,” it added.
Beijing has supplied billions of dollars in financing and energy investments to broaden its influence across Latin America via its Belt and Road Initiative, and stands as Caracas’ biggest crude oil purchaser.
The Trump administration has explicitly opposed that trajectory. Senior officials have stated that the U.S. plans to reassert the Monroe Doctrine, a longstanding policy that opposes foreign powers establishing strategic positions in the Americas, especially authoritarian competitors like China.
Venezuela has served as a central arena for that rivalry. U.S. officials have charged Beijing, together with Russia and Iran, with sustaining Maduro’s government as it confronted international isolation, economic devastation, and extensive accusations of corruption and drug trafficking.