On January 6, 2026, at a UN Security Council emergency meeting, China urged the United States to immediately release former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, abide by international law, and cease acting as the 'world's police and court.'
The Chinese delegation expressed shock at the US detention of Maduro and Flores, longstanding allies of Beijing, and framed the demand as a challenge to unilateral US actions exacerbating global tensions.
This followed earlier Chinese condemnations of the incident as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, including support voiced in a January 9 foreign ministry briefing. Maduro's ouster and detention highlight US-China rivalry in Latin America, where Venezuela maintains close economic and political ties with China.
The UN meeting sought consensus on international law compliance but yielded no immediate resolution, underscoring China's push for multilateralism amid the crisis.
