Chinese Diplomats Arrived in Venezuela for Talks with Maduro Hours Before US Strikes And Are Still There: Report

"News broke in the wee hours of Saturday morning that President Donald Trump's administration had conducted air strikes in Caracas, Venezuela's capital city, captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and brought them to the U.S. The strikes sparked loud criticism for multiple reasons, chiefly because Trump had not sought authorization from Congress beforehand and because of his pardon in December for Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras who was convicted of drug trafficking."

"Friday evening, Maduro met with several Chinese officials, including Qiu Xiaoqi, Chinese President Xi Jinping's Special Envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean; Lan Hu, China's ambassador to Venezuela; Liu Bo, Director of the Latin America and Caribbean Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry; Wang Hao, Deputy Director-General of the same department; Liu Zhen, regional attache; and several other top diplomats and CCP officials."

"Had a pleasant meeting with Qui Xiaoqi, Special Envoy of President Xi Jinping, the caption read (Spanish translation to English by Instagram). We reaffirm our commitment to the strategic relationship that advances and strengthens in various areas for the construction of the world #Multipolar of development and peace. China and Venezuela! United! Received President Xi Jinping's Special Envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean, Qiu Xiaoqi, read the caption on the second post (again, translation by Instagram)."

U.S. forces conducted air strikes in Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and transported them to the United States. The operation provoked criticism because the Trump administration did not seek prior congressional authorization and because of Trump's December pardon of Juan Orlando Hernandez, a former Honduran president convicted of drug trafficking. Maduro had secured a disputed third term in July 2024 despite election results indicating opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez had won. Hours before the operation, Maduro met with senior Chinese diplomats and posted photos and captions reaffirming strategic, multipolar ties; Chinese officials reportedly remain in Caracas.

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