China says it cannot accept countries acting as ‘world judge’ after US captures Maduro
“We have never believed that any country can act as the police of the world, and we do not accept any country claiming to be the judge of the world,” Wang told his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar at a meeting in Beijing on Sunday, referring to “sudden developments in Venezuela” without directly mentioning the United States.
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“The sovereignty and security of all countries must be fully protected under international law,” China’s top diplomat said in his first speech since images of a blindfolded and handcuffed 63-year-old Maduro stunned Venezuelans on Saturday. he added.
Maduro is in a New York detention center awaiting trial Monday on drug charges.
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Beijing has ambitions of becoming a diplomatic heavyweight; It’s a goal he expressed most clearly after brokering a surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, promising to “play a constructive role in global hotspot issues.” Analysts say Beijing’s success in going toe-to-toe with the United States in trade negotiations has only strengthened China’s confidence.
But President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States will oversee the Venezuelan government for now poses a harsh test for the “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” that Beijing and Caracas struck in 2023, marking almost 50 years of diplomatic relations.
“This was a big blow for China, we wanted to appear as a reliable friend of Venezuela,” a Chinese government official said, giving information about the meeting between Maduro and China’s special envoy for Latin American and Caribbean affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi, hours before his capture.
Maduro’s son is visiting China’s top Peking University in 2024, where he enrolled in 2016, they said, adding that they were unsure whether he would return despite years of diplomatic relations with Caracas over his education and ties with China.
The world’s second-largest economy has provided Venezuela with an economic lifeline since the United States and its allies increased sanctions in 2017; It purchased about $1.6 billion worth of goods in 2024, the latest full-year data available.
According to customs data, almost half of China’s purchases consist of crude oil, while China’s state-owned oil giants invested approximately $4.6 billion in Venezuela as of 2018, according to data from the American Enterprise Institute, a think tank that monitors China’s overseas corporate investments.
