Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said Beijing cannot accept any country acting as the “world’s judge,” following the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
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Speaking during a meeting with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Beijing on Sunday, Wang referred to the “sudden developments in Venezuela” without directly naming the United States. He stressed that no nation has the right to act as the world’s police or judge.
“We have never believed that any country can act as the world’s police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world’s judge,” Wang said. He added that the sovereignty and security of all countries must be fully protected under international law.
The remarks were Wang’s first public comments since images emerged on Saturday showing the 63-year-old Maduro blindfolded and handcuffed after being taken into US custody. Maduro is currently being held at a detention centre in New York and is due to appear in court on Monday to face drug-related charges, which he has long denied.
China has increasingly positioned itself as a major diplomatic player on the global stage, a role highlighted by its mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023. Analysts say Beijing’s confidence has grown following its firm stance in trade negotiations with Washington.
However, US President Donald Trump’s declaration that the United States will temporarily oversee Venezuela’s government presents a major challenge to the “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” China and Venezuela signed in 2023, marking nearly five decades of diplomatic relations.
A Chinese government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the developments were a significant setback for Beijing’s efforts to present itself as a reliable ally of Caracas. The official said Maduro had met China’s special representative for Latin American and Caribbean affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi, just hours before his capture.
China has played a key role in supporting Venezuela’s economy since US-led sanctions were expanded in 2017. According to customs data, China purchased around $1.6 billion worth of Venezuelan goods in 2024, nearly half of which was crude oil. Chinese state-owned energy companies had invested an estimated $4.6 billion in Venezuela by 2018, according to data from the American Enterprise Institute.
