Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has stated that Beijing cannot accept any nation acting as the “world’s judge,” following the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Speaking to his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar during a meeting in Beijing on Sunday, Wang referred to “sudden developments in Venezuela” without directly naming the U.S. He stressed that no country has the right to serve as the world’s police or judge.
“The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law,” Wang added, marking his first public comments since images of a 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed emerged on Saturday. Maduro is currently held in a New York detention centre and is set for a court appearance on Monday on drug-related charges.
China has long aimed to position itself as a major diplomatic player, a role it underscored when it brokered the unexpected Saudi-Iran rapprochement in 2023. Beijing has pledged to play a “constructive role in global hotspot issues,” and analysts say its ability to challenge the U.S. in trade negotiations has bolstered its confidence on the world stage.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington will oversee Venezuela’s government presents a major challenge to China’s strategic relationship with Caracas. The “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” between Beijing and Venezuela, established in 2023 and marking nearly 50 years of diplomatic ties, now faces a test.
A Chinese government official noted that Maduro’s capture was “a big blow” to China, which sought to appear as a reliable partner to Venezuela. Maduro’s son, who studied at Peking University starting in 2016, had visited China’s top-ranking university in 2024, highlighting deep ties between the two nations.
China has been a critical economic supporter of Venezuela since U.S. sanctions intensified in 2017. In 2024 alone, China purchased about $1.6 billion in Venezuelan goods, nearly half of which was crude oil, while state-owned Chinese oil companies had invested approximately $4.6 billion in the country by 2018, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
