China’s foreign minister said Beijing rejects any country acting as the world’s judge after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, marking China’s first public response to the arrest that has jolted Caracas and its allies.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks Sunday during talks in Beijing with Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, referring obliquely to events in Venezuela without naming the United States.

Sovereignty concerns raised

“We have never believed that any country can act as the world’s police, nor do we accept that any nation can claim to be the world’s judge,” Wang said.

“The sovereignty and security of all countries should be fully protected under international law,” he added.

The comments came after images circulated Saturday of Maduro, 63, blindfolded and handcuffed following his seizure by U.S. forces.

U.S. court appearance

Maduro is being held in a New York detention center and is scheduled to appear in U.S. court on Monday on drug-related charges. He has long denied any criminal wrongdoing.

President Donald Trump has said the United States will oversee Venezuela’s government for the time being, a stance that poses a direct challenge to China’s close political and economic ties with Caracas.

China’s diplomatic ambitions

Beijing has sought to expand its influence as a global diplomatic power, most notably in 2023 when it brokered a surprise rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran and pledged to play a “constructive role” in resolving global flashpoints.

Analysts say China’s willingness to confront Washington in trade disputes has bolstered its confidence on the world stage.

However, the abrupt removal of Maduro tests the “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” China and Venezuela formalized in 2023, nearly five decades after establishing diplomatic relations.

A Chinese government official briefed on recent diplomacy said Maduro’s capture was “a big blow to China,” adding that Beijing wanted to be seen as a dependable partner to Venezuela.

Economic stakes

China has provided Venezuela with a crucial economic lifeline since U.S. and allied sanctions intensified in 2017.

The world’s second-largest economy purchased about $1.6 billion worth of Venezuelan goods in 2024, according to the most recent full-year data available, with crude oil accounting for nearly half of those imports.

China’s state-owned oil companies had invested an estimated $4.6 billion in Venezuela by 2018, according to the American Enterprise Institute, which tracks Chinese overseas corporate investment.