Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing cannot accept any country acting as the "world's judge" after the United States captured Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro is in a New York detention centre awaiting a Monday court appearance on drug charges. Beijing has ambition to become a diplomatic heavyweight, a goal it articulated most clearly after brokering a surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, pledging to "play a constructive role in global hotspot issues." Analysts say Beijing's success in going toe-to-toe with the U.S. in trade negotiations has only reinforced China's confidence. "It was a big blow to China, we wanted to look like a dependable friend to Venezuela," said a Chinese government official briefed on a meeting between Maduro and China's special representative for Latin American and Caribbean affairs, Qiu Xiaoqi, hours before his capture.

Source: The Telegraph January 05, 2026 02:27 UTC