China makes strong demand after Trump captures Venezuelan president

China has raised concerns and issued a sharp response following recent developments involving Venezuela and the United States.

US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a covert military operation on January 3, 2026.

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.

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.

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.

Trump said the US will now 'run' Venezuela (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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.”