Maduro’s Fall Tests China’s Influence in Washington’s Backyard

Chinese Special Envoy for Latin America and the Caribbean Qiu Xiaoqi met with deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro on January 2, 2025, shortly before the Venezuelan leader was detained by U.S. forces. Image via the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The United States government’s rationale for last Friday’s military incursion into Venezuela to detain President Nicolás Maduro has evolved over the months from combating narco-terrorism to asserting control over the country’s vast oil reserves.

But amid the varying justifications for the intervention was a concern about China’s influence in the South American country.

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by Eric Olander

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