China has said it will not accept any country positioning itself as the “world’s judge” following the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the United States.
The position was stated by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during a meeting with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Ishaq Dar, in Beijing on Sunday, where he referred to what he described as “sudden developments in Venezuela.”
Without naming the United States, Wang said China does not believe any country can act as the world’s police or judge, stressing that the sovereignty and security of all nations should be protected under international law. The remarks were his first public comments since images of the 63-year-old Venezuelan leader, blindfolded and handcuffed, circulated over the weekend.
Maduro is currently being held at a detention facility in New York and is expected to appear in court on Monday on drug-related charges.
China has in recent years sought to play a larger diplomatic role globally, a stance it highlighted after brokering a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023. Analysts say Beijing’s experience in trade disputes with Washington has strengthened its diplomatic confidence.
However, U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington would temporarily oversee Venezuela’s government poses a challenge to the “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” agreed between China and Venezuela in 2023, nearly five decades after the two countries established diplomatic relations.
A Chinese government official familiar with recent engagements said Maduro’s detention was a setback for Beijing, which has aimed to present itself as a reliable ally to Caracas. The official also noted longstanding diplomatic ties involving Maduro’s family, including his son’s education in China.
China has been a major economic partner to Venezuela since U.S.-led sanctions were intensified in 2017. In 2024, China purchased about $1.6 billion worth of Venezuelan goods, nearly half of which was crude oil. Chinese state-owned oil firms had also invested an estimated $4.6 billion in Venezuela by 2018, according to data from the American Enterprise Institute.
