Venezuela’s Crisis Sends China Reeling: What Beijing Lost In Maduro’s Fall | World News

New Delhi: In a covert military operation last Saturday (January 3), Washington arrested former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from Caracas and flew them to the United States. The suspects, who are on trial in New York on charges related to drug trafficking, appeared in court on Monday, January 5.

The harshest reaction to the American operation came from China. Beijing strongly condemned the action and demanded Maduro’s immediate release.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the US move as a violation of international law. Many countries, including Russia, Brazil and India, expressed their concern about the developments and called for a solution through dialogue.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss the situation in Venezuela. The meeting was held at the request of Colombia and was supported by China and Russia.

The main topic of the session was Maduro’s arrest on the orders of President Donald Trump. UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the move could set a “dangerous precedent”.

China said it is against such interventions and has consistently maintained this position. Beijing has long criticized military actions taken without UNSC approval.

In this case, China’s reaction was particularly strong. Analysts attribute this to China’s financial situation and Venezuela’s long-term investments in the oil sector.

Russia and China are close partners of Venezuela, and that relationship has helped Caracas soften the impact of international sanctions over the years.

China’s Immediate Response

Shortly after President Trump announced Maduro’s arrest on Truth Social last Saturday (January 3), China responded. Yu Jing, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in India, said, “China strongly condemns the US use of force against a sovereign country and its action against the president of Venezuela. We are deeply surprised by this.”

“Such acts of pressure 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 emergency session of the UNSC, Beijing’s special envoy criticized the US operation. “As a permanent member of the Security Council, the United States has ignored the most serious concerns of the international community,” Sun Lei said.

He said America had “arbitrarily trampled on Venezuela’s sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests and seriously violated the principle of sovereign equality.” He also said the action violated the principles of non-interference in internal affairs, peaceful resolution of international disputes and violation of rules on the use of force in international relations.

“We call on 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.

“No country has the right to act as the world’s policeman or impose its will on others,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a meeting with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Sunday. he said.

“We never accept any country being the police of the world, nor do we accept any country claiming to be the judge of the world. According to international law, the sovereignty and security of all countries must be fully protected,” he said.

On Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on all nations to comply with international law and United Nations principles. He said major powers should “set an example” to the world, without naming the United States.

China’s Growing Footprint in Latin America

Over the past two decades, when U.S. involvement in Latin America was relatively limited, China has expanded its presence in the region.

In November 2024, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping personally attended the opening of the port of Chancay on the Peruvian coastline, a project built with support from Beijing.

The $3.5 billion port is seen as a strategic facility that would allow trade routes to bypass North America entirely.

China has also taken its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative deeper into the Caribbean region, defined as America’s traditional backyard.

During the same period, Beijing managed to persuade many Latin American countries to withdraw diplomatic recognition from Taiwan and join China. Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras have chosen to form strategic partnerships with Beijing.

Venezuela has the world’s largest oil reserves. According to Reuters, based on the London-based Energy Institute, Caracas controls approximately 17 percent of global oil reserves of around 303 billion barrels. This puts it ahead of Saudi Arabia, the leading member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Sanctions have limited Venezuela’s ability to sell its oil freely on global markets. At this stage, China stepped in. It is a buyer of Venezuelan oil and is among the few countries that invest directly in the country’s oil sector.

China accounted for less than 2 percent of Latin America’s total exports in 2000, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. As of 2021, trade between China and Latin America exceeded $450 billion.

Chinese state media reported that this figure reached a record level of $518 billion in 2024. Some economists estimate that trade could exceed $700 billion in 2035.

China is currently South America’s largest trading partner and Latin America’s second largest trading partner after the United States.

China-Venezuela Relations and Investments

China’s relations with Venezuela strengthened in the late 1990s after socialist leader Hugo Chavez came to power in 1998. Chavez distanced himself from Washington and openly praised the Chinese Communist Party’s governing model.

Following Chavez’s death in 2013, Maduro took over as president and ties with Beijing became even closer. China has invested heavily in Venezuela’s oil refineries and infrastructure. China’s support became a financial lifeline when the United States and its allies tightened sanctions starting in 2017.

Citing Chinese customs data, Reuters reported that Beijing purchased goods worth about $1.6 billion from Venezuela in 2024, with almost half of this amount consisting of oil.

Chinese investors poured $2.1 billion into Venezuela’s oil sector after 2016, according to the American Enterprise Institute’s 2023 forecast.

Chinese companies are among a limited number of foreign companies allowed to operate in the country. The state-owned Sinopec Group has the largest stake in Venezuela’s oil fields.

A Major Setback for Beijing

Hours before Maduro’s arrest, Qiu Xiaoqi, China’s special representative for Latin American and Caribbean affairs, was in Caracas and 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 seen as a failure for Beijing.

Analysts say China, the world’s second-largest economy and a major global trading power, could play a key role in mobilizing international criticism of U.S. action.

Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project, told Reuters: “At this point there is little concrete assistance China can offer Venezuela, but at the rhetorical level, its role in influencing anti-US views at the United Nations and among developing countries will be significant.”

President Trump also threatened military action against Colombia and Mexico and said Cuba’s communist government appeared “ready to fall on its own.”

Analysts believe Latin American countries that have signed President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative may now reassess how much protection such agreements actually offer in times of crisis.