As US destroyers closed in on Venezuela’s coast on Thursday, China condemned Washington’s military build-up and warned against foreign interference, backing Nicolas Maduro in a showdown that is drawing in powers far beyond the Caribbean.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China opposed “any move that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and a country’s sovereignty and security”.
She added that Beijing rejected “the interference of external forces in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext” and urged the United States to “do more things conducive to peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region”.
Her remarks came as Maduro hosted China‘s ambassador in Caracas, Lan Hu, praising what he called “notable advances” in joint projects.
“China is without a doubt the country that leads the world with the concept of human development,” Maduro said in a message on Telegram after the meeting, which was also attended by Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez.
The exchange highlighted Beijing’s alignment with Caracas as the Trump administration escalates its pressure campaign.
The White House confirmed that three destroyers and an amphibious squadron carrying about 4,000 Marines have been dispatched to the Caribbean. Washington says the aim is to disrupt cartels, but Venezuelan officials and their allies call the patrols a direct threat to sovereignty.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was “prepared to use all American power” to stop drugs from entering the United States and to “bring those responsible to justice”.
She described Maduro’s government as “a narcoterrorist cartel” and noted that the reward for his capture has been raised to US$50 million.
Maduro responded by mobilising 4.5 million members of the Bolivarian Militia and ordering a 30-day suspension of drone flights nationwide.
“We defend our seas, our skies and our lands. We freed them. We guard and patrol them. No empire will touch the sacred soil of Venezuela,” he said in a televised speech in Caracas.
China has poured about US$67 billion into Venezuela since 2007, far more than into any other South American country, making it Caracas’s most important creditor and one of its few remaining lifelines.
The partnership, launched under then-president Hugo Chavez, tied Chinese loans to Venezuelan oil and grew into a strategic alliance that has survived debt disputes and US sanctions.
While Chinese companies have scaled back direct purchases of Venezuelan crude, Beijing continues to shield Maduro diplomatically. Last year, China was one of the first countries to recognise a highly contested election process that gave him a third term.
Regional leaders have been divided in their reactions to the American military build-up near Venezuela.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum reiterated her opposition to intervention and called for disputes to be solved through dialogue.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said the United States was mistaken if it believed military action could resolve Venezuela’s crisis and warned of “grave regional consequences”.
Brazil also voiced concern. Celso Amorim, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s top foreign policy adviser, said he viewed the US naval deployment with “worry” and stressed that non-intervention remained a fundamental principle of Brazilian diplomacy.
He cautioned against a narrative of using “total force” to fight organised crime, saying such problems should be tackled “with cooperation among countries and not unilateral interventions”.
Others stayed quiet or echoed Washington. Argentine President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, did not comment but amplified messages from the US Embassy about defence cooperation.
In Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa ordered intelligence services to investigate alleged ties between Venezuelan cartels and domestic gangs. Paraguay’s Senate declared the Cartel de los Soles a terrorist organisation, awaiting approval by President Santiago Pena.
