The capital city of Venezuela, Caracas, was struck in the early hours of Saturday by the US military, with Trump reporting on Truth Social a short while later that President Maduro had been captured and taken out of the country, along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
On Sunday (January 4), President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that America was now ‘in charge’ of Venezuela, despite the country’s Supreme Court appointing Vice President Delcy Rodríguez as interim leader.
But China has now spoken out against Trump’s move, urging the US to release Maduro immediately. The country’s foreign ministry said the US military operation to capture the Venezuelan president violated international law.
“The US actions clearly violate international law, the basic norms in international relations, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” China’s foreign ministry said, per the South China Morning Post.
“China 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,” the ministry added.
China and Venezuela have maintained strong and friendly relations for decades. The country with the world’s second-largest economy has played a key role in supporting Venezuela’s economy since US-led sanctions were imposed in 2017, buying nearly £1.2bn 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 China’s special representative for Latin American affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi.
As for the US taking charge of Venezuela, Trump told a press conference: “We don’t 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.
“And it has to be judicious, because that’s what we’re 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, it’s their homeland.”
Featured Image Credit: ANTHONY KWAN/Getty
In addition, the Venezuelan government has said it ‘rejects, repudiates and denounces before the international community the extremely serious military aggression perpetrated by the current Government of the United States of America’.
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: “The 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.”
Nicolas Maduro has allegedly been removed from power (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
The president went on to confirm that the removal of Venezuela’s leader from office was considered a criminal matter for US justice, adding: “This 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.”
Trump said the US will now ‘run’ 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 Venezuela’s vast oil reserves for the US.
