Maduro had just affirmed ‘strong bonds of brotherhood’ with Beijing when US made its shocking intervention
Maduro had just affirmed ‘strong bonds of brotherhood’ with Beijing when US made its shocking intervention
Hours before his life and the fate of his country was changed dramatically, Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro, was exchanging smiles and handshakes with a Chinese delegation in the presidential palace in Caracas.
On Friday evening, shortly before he was seized by US forces, Maduro wrote on Telegram of his meeting with China’s special envoy for Latin American affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi: “A fraternal meeting that reaffirms the strong bonds of brotherhood and friendship between China and Venezuela. Through thick and thin!”
Those bonds will be put to the test now that the US president, Donald Trump, has upended the government of one of China’s key “all-weather” strategic partners in Latin America, the term officially adopted in a joint statement signed by Maduro and China’s president, Xi Jinping, in 2023.
China has, unlike European countries, led the charge in condemning the US’s actions in removing by force the head of a foreign state. China has also called for Maduro’s release and backed a UN security council meeting, requested by Colombia, to debate Trump’s decision to seize him.
On Sunday, China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, said: “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.”
Chinese social media was awash with content condemning the US operation, with many accusing Washington of colonialism, while content that celebrated Maduro’s capture appeared to be censored.
