The attack threatens Chinese interests in more ways than one. “Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate international law and Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threaten peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Some western commentators have suggested that Trump’s action against Maduro could offer Beijing a useful precedent to decapitate the political leadership in Taiwan. But China’s outrage at Washington’s latest assault on international law and the UN Charter is more than rhetoric: it reflects Chinese interests. This behaviour drags the world back toward a barbaric colonial era of plunder, in open defiance of international law,” it said.

Source: The Irish Times January 05, 2026 12:36 UTC