China rejected US President Donald Trump’s declaration that Venezuelan airspace was “completely closed,” a move Beijing considered a “colonial threat” to Venezuelan national sovereignty and inconsistent with international law and the principles of the United Nations. This current US policy in Venezuela aims to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down and resign. President “Maduro” bases his request for cooperation with China on the ideological convergence between the two countries. On the American side, President Trump believes that removing Venezuelan President “Maduro” and establishing a pro-American democratic system in Latin America would be a major achievement in US foreign policy, especially since all previous Venezuelan presidents have been a primary and direct cause of limiting American influence in the region. For example, during the rule of Maduro’s predecessor, the radical leftist leader Hugo Chávez, Venezuela used its vast oil and mineral resources to build trade and political relationships with Washington’s adversaries. To this end, Chinese banks lent Venezuela billions of dollars, to be repaid later with oil.
To achieve this goal, Washington is pursuing a multifaceted pressure campaign against the Venezuelan regime, combining economic sanctions, military escalation, and covert intelligence operations. This is an American attempt to force “Maduro” to concede or create a rift within his regime. However, continued Russian and Chinese support for the Caracas government is preventing this. Beijing is well aware of this American ambition to forcibly change the regime in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Trump has linked the Venezuelan president’s government to criminal gangs and authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations within Venezuela itself, hoping to overthrow him. On November 24, 2015, the United States designated the Cartel de los Solis, a Venezuelan group that Washington classifies as a foreign terrorist organization and imposes sanctions on. Washington claims that Venezuelan President “Nicolás Maduro” and several high-ranking officials lead the cartel. Venezuela has described these allegations as a “horrible lie” and a pretext for illegal US interference in its internal affairs. The Trump administration continues to pressure the Venezuelan regime, accusing it of being a major hub for drug trafficking. However, the ongoing US naval operations, primarily near Venezuela’s maritime borders, are aimed at addressing the shortcomings of the US geopolitical strategy toward Venezuela. Operations against drug cartels in the region represent an indirect US pressure tactic to curb China’s growing influence in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.
Recently, the US has increased its military presence near Venezuela’s borders under the guise of combating drug trafficking. Furthermore, President “Trump” has revived the “Foreign Enemies Act,” which was used to intern Japanese, German, and Italian citizens during World War II, but this time with the aim of detaining and deporting Venezuelan citizens en masse from US soil.
Here, political, intelligence, and security circles in Beijing criticized US President Trump’s exploitation of his campaign against terrorist gangs and drug trafficking in Latin America to launch a comprehensive plan to undermine Chinese interests in Latin America and the Caribbean, under the name “Donroe Doctrine.” China considered this doctrine to be partly aimed at “cleansing America’s backyard of Chinese influence.” The United States exploited attacks on drug boats in the region to deploy an unusually large naval fleet of warships, drones, and troops that recently amassed off the coast of Venezuela. Accordingly, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced Beijing’s opposition to any foreign interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext. She also criticized all new US sanctions against Venezuela and called on Washington to rescind these “illegal and unilateral” measures and make greater efforts to promote peace, stability, and development in Latin America and the Caribbean. While emphasizing that “China opposes unilateral sanctions that violate international law and are imposed without a UN Security Council mandate and opposes any external interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext,” the Chinese official added that “Beijing calls on all parties to respect Venezuela’s sovereignty and avoid provocative actions.”
On the other hand, Venezuela has sought alliances with Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba to counter US influence, especially with the deployment of US naval vessels off the Venezuelan coast. This coincides with an increasing US military presence in Venezuela and Latin America in general, under various pretexts, including combating drug trafficking in the region, which has raised concerns in China. Consequently, Chinese rhetoric has intensified in response to US interventionist policies, with Beijing warning Washington against using any pretext for military intervention in Venezuela.
It is anticipated that China may intervene to de-escalate the recent tensions between the US and Venezuela. Its stance might resemble that of the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis, or it may attempt to bridge the gap between the two sides. However, the most likely scenario remains continued Chinese support for Venezuela in the face of US pressure.
China’s intervention in Venezuela takes many forms. It provides economic support through “oil-for-loans” agreements, which bolster the Maduro regime’s ability to withstand US sanctions. China warns against any foreign interference in Venezuela’s affairs and calls for respect for its sovereignty and the avoidance of provocative actions. Russia, China’s ally, also supports Venezuela militarily with equipment and training, forming a united front against US pressure. Chinese support for Venezuela takes several forms, most notably direct economic support through concessional loans in exchange for oil. Chinese companies manage Venezuelan oil fields, and Chinese banks hold the debt. This support has mitigated the impact of US sanctions and kept the Maduro regime in power. China’s support also has a diplomatic dimension, as it opposes any foreign interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs and criticizes the unilateral US sanctions. Analyses also indicate that China poses a challenge to US influence in its Latin American backyard. Therefore, Washington cannot simply expel Chinese and Russian influence from the region by force.
To counter the growing Chinese influence in Venezuela and Latin America, Trump focused his efforts on reviving the “Monroe Doctrine,” a 19th-century doctrine that viewed Latin America as the backyard of the United States and declared the Western Hemisphere off-limits to adversaries. Similarly, his 2025 plan, announced during his second term and dubbed “Redrawing the World,” calls for seizing control of Latin American supply chains as a prerequisite for achieving US economic security.
Based on the preceding analysis, we understand China’s firm rejection of foreign intervention in Venezuelan affairs. Beijing desires to prevent the crisis from escalating into a direct confrontation between Venezuela and the United States, which could threaten its economic and political interests. To this end, China has adopted several tools to manage the current conflict between Washington and Caracas. These tools are not primarily confrontational but rather economic and diplomatic, through generous Chinese support for the Venezuelan economy, protection of investments, and rejection of all unilateral US measures against Venezuela, all without provoking a direct military escalation between the two sides.
