The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas,ย was struck in the early hours of Saturdayย by the US military, withย Trumpย reporting on Truth Social a short while later thatย President Maduro had been captured and taken out of the country, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
On Sunday (January 4),ย President Donald Trumpย told reporters aboard Air Force One that America was now โin chargeโ of Venezuela, despite the countryโs Supreme Court appointing Vice President Delcy Rodrรญguez as interim leader.
Butย Chinaย has now spoken out against Trumpโs move, urging the US to release Maduro immediately. The countryโs foreign ministry said the US military operation to capture the Venezuelan president violated international law.
โThe US actions clearly violate international law, the basic norms in international relations, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,โ Chinaโs foreign ministryย said, per the South China Morning Post.
โChina calls on the US to ensure the personal safety of President Maduro and his wife, to release them immediately, to stop subverting the Venezuelan regime and to resolve the issue through dialogue and negotiation,โ the ministry added.
China and Venezuela have maintained strong and friendly relations for decades. The country with the worldโs second-largest economy has played a key role in supporting Venezuelaโs economy since US-led sanctions were imposed in 2017, buying nearly ยฃ1.2bn worth of Venezuelan goods in 2024.
Trump shared this image on his social media after announcing Maduro had been captured (Truth Social/Donald Trump)
Maduro has previously hosted Chinese delegations, including just hours before his capture, when he met in Caracas with a group led by Chinaโs special representative for Latin American affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi.
As for the US taking charge of Venezuela, Trumpย told a press conference: โWe donโt want to be involved with having somebody else get in and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years, so we are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.
โAnd it has to be judicious, because thatโs what weโre all about. We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela, and that includes many from Venezuela that are now living in the United States and want to go back to their country, itโs their homeland.โ
Featured Image Credit: ANTHONY KWAN/Getty
In addition, the Venezuelan government has said it โrejects, repudiates and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of Americaโ.
Tensions have long been brewing between the two nations, with Trump issuing warnings to the country last year following open water attacks on boats in International Waters that the US claimed were drug boats attempting to enter the US.
The US has been responding with force and killed more than 110 people in strikes in open water since it began attacking boats on September 2.
He said: โThe United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country.โ
Nicolas Maduro has allegedly been removed from power (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
The president went on to confirm that the removal of Venezuelaโs leader from office was considered a criminal matter for US justice, adding: โThis operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.โ
Trump said the US will now โrunโ Venezuela (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
While the White House has described the action as a law enforcement effort, critics and some observers argue it reflects broader strategic goals and raises questions about motives, such as reopening Venezuelaโs vast oil reserves for the US.
