The Chinese Foreign Ministry scolded the government of President Donald Trump on Thursday for approving military deployments to the Caribbean Sea to combat large-scale drug trafficking in the region, calling it an abusive “threat of force” against its ally, socialist Venezuela.
China’s ambassador to Venezuela, Lan Hu, also made a supportive public appearance on Thursday alongside dictator Nicolás Maduro, visiting the Caracas presidential palace to cement Beijing’s place as a top partner of the rogue socialist regime.
The context for China’s show of camaraderie is the publication of multiple reports this week that the U.S. military is deploying a formidable presence in international waters in the southern Caribbean near Venezuela. Reports initially surfaced that three Aegis guided-missile destroyers, followed by deployments of “about 4,000 sailors and Marines,” would soon move into the region.
The U.S. Navy initially described the move as a “regularly scheduled deployment.” Asked about the reports on Tuesday, however, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that President Trump was taking action to contain the prodigious cocaine and other drug trade active in the region, believed to be facilitated in large part by Maduro.
“President (Donald) Trump has been very clear and consistent. He’s prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” Leavitt told reporters, emphasizing that Maduro was not a “legitimate president,” but a senior member — if not the head of — the Cartel de los Soles, an international cocaine trafficking outfit run by the Venezuelan military.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented similarly in late July, publishing a statement on social media that “Maduro is NOT the President of Venezuela and his regime is NOT the legitimate government.”
“Maduro is the head of the Cartel de Los Soles, a narco-terror organization which has taken possession of a country. And he is under indictment for pushing drugs into the United States,” Rubio affirmed.
The U.S. is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Maduro.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry addressed the situation on Thursday, condemning the United States.
“China opposes any move that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and a country’s sovereignty and security,” spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters. “We oppose the use or threat of force in international relations and the interference of external forces in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext.”
“We hope that the United States will do more things conducive to peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” she added.
The Chinese government also expressed support through a visit by Ambassador Lan to the Miraflores palace in Caracas. Venezuelan state media published videos of the engagement, which Maduro claimed was primarily centered on joint technological development and artificial intelligence.
“I am pleased with the remarkable progress we have made in all projects with China in the economy, science, technology and Artificial Intelligence,” state media quoted Maduro as saying during the meeting. “Without a doubt, China is leading the way in this world with a human concept for development. We are in the final stretch of 2025!”
According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), China has “poured about US$67 billion into Venezuela since 2007,” investing in keeping the regime, which has demonstrated a near-complete absence of competence regarding basic governance in the past 25 years, afloat.
The Maduro regime has identified American anti-drug operations in the region as a threat to its continued existence and ordered a massive mobilization of civilians into “militias” to defend from a direct American attack. Maduro announced on Thursday that he would lead a “process of national enlistment” this weekend to recruit young men and women into the armed forces to fight America.
“As commander in chief, I have considered it necessary and opportune that this Saturday and Sunday we have this massive event for enlistment and call to the ranks of all militiamen, all the militiawomen of the country, of all the reservists of the country and all citizens who want to take a step forward,” Maduro declared, according to state propaganda network VTV.
“[We will] tell the imperialism, enough of these threats!” Maduro declared. “Venezuela rejects your threats because it wants peace, and there will be peace!”
The regime has flooded social media with strange videos of citizens training to fight the U.S. military, including martial arts displays apparently conducted by Venezuelan civilians.
Some of the most senior members of the Maduro regime have also taken part in the propaganda efforts. Diosdado Cabello, the country’s interior minister and also a wanted drug lord for whom the U.S. is offering a $25 million bounty, appeared on television this week engaging in what appeared to be target practice. Cabello did not appear to be proficient in using a military rifle, fumbling extensively to load it while on camera.
China has supported the Venezuelan regime for decades, prominently as one of the country’s most prolific buyers of oil. Multiple investigations have indicated that Beijing has largely disregarded Western sanctions on the Venezuela oil industry, imposed due to its ties to drug trafficking and terrorist organizations as well as its rampant human rights abuses against Venezuelans. In May, Reuters reported that China has received over $1 billion in Venezuelan oil hidden in shipments branded as Brazilian crude and moved from ship to ship to avoid detection.
On Wednesday, a report by the Financial Times and the C4ADS research group accused China of receiving massive shipments of oil from Venezuela, Iran, and Russia purchased through a “naval mortgage” scheme that allowed the shipments to appear to originate in Iraq and Malaysia.
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