Beijing, November 28, 2025 – China has strongly condemned the United States for what it calls unlawful unilateral sanctions and external interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs, marking a sharp escalation in the war of words between the two superpowers over the future of the South American nation.
Speaking at a regular press conference on Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that Beijing “consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and have not been authorized by the UN Security Council.” She added that China firmly opposes “external forces interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext” and urged the United States to immediately lift its “illicit unilateral sanctions” on Caracas.
“We call on the U.S. to lift the illicit unilateral sanctions and choose the course of action that is conducive to peace, stability, and development in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” Mao said.
Her remarks came in direct response to a major U.S. move earlier this week: the formal designation of the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The decision was published in the U.S. Federal Register on Monday, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring that the group and its aliases are now officially classified as a terrorist entity.
The Venezuelan government immediately rejected the designation as absurd and baseless. Foreign Minister Yván Gil called it a “ridiculous” attempt to label a “nonexistent” cartel as a terrorist organization, accusing Washington of fabricating pretexts to justify aggression against the sovereign nation.
The Cartel de los Soles has long been accused by U.S. authorities of being a drug-trafficking network run by high-ranking Venezuelan military officers and government officials, including allegations of direct involvement by President Nicolás Maduro. Washington claims the group works with other criminal organizations, such as the Tren de Aragua gang and remnants of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, to traffic massive quantities of cocaine into the United States.
Meanwhile, U.S. military activity in the region has reached levels not seen in decades. Since August 2025, the United States has significantly expanded its naval and air presence in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific under the banner of counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism operations. The deployment includes the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford—the world’s largest warship—along with guided-missile destroyers, attack submarines, Marine expeditionary units, P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft, B-1B bombers, and advanced drone systems.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has described the ongoing mission, dubbed Operation Southern Spear, as a “zero-tolerance” campaign against narcoterrorism networks using Venezuelan territory. U.S. forces have conducted dozens of airstrikes and maritime interdictions, sinking suspected drug-running vessels and reporting over 70 fatalities among alleged traffickers in recent months.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly framed Venezuela as a direct national security threat, accusing the Maduro government of deliberately funneling drugs and criminal migrants into the United States. The administration has tied the military buildup to broader efforts to secure U.S. borders and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.
In response, Venezuela has placed its armed forces on high alert and conducted nationwide military exercises involving nearly 200,000 troops and civilian militias. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López has warned that any U.S. incursion would be met with fierce resistance, including guerrilla warfare, and that the Venezuelan people are prepared to defend their sovereignty at all costs.
China’s outspoken defense of Venezuela is rooted in deep economic and strategic ties. Beijing is Venezuela’s largest creditor and top oil buyer, having provided more than $60 billion in loans since 2005, largely repaid in crude oil even under U.S. sanctions. In recent months, the two countries have further strengthened cooperation with new trade agreements, including a zero-tariff access for hundreds of Venezuelan products in the Chinese market.
The U.S. sanctions regime, first intensified during Trump’s first term and partially eased under Biden, has been dramatically expanded again in 2025. Billions in Venezuelan assets remain frozen abroad, hundreds of individuals and entities are blacklisted, and secondary sanctions threaten any country or company that does business with Caracas.
Critics of the policy argue that sanctions have worsened Venezuela’s humanitarian and economic crisis, triggering mass migration and widespread suffering, without achieving regime change. Supporters insist they are necessary to combat state-sponsored drug trafficking and corruption.
Regional reactions have been mixed. While some Latin American governments have quietly supported tougher U.S. action against organized crime, others—along with the Vatican and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)—have expressed alarm over the risk of military escalation and violations of international law.
As the USS Gerald R. Ford and its battle group continue patrols just outside Venezuelan waters and Chinese diplomatic support for Maduro grows more vocal, the crisis has taken on unmistakable great-power dimensions. What began as a counter-narcotics campaign now carries the clear potential to ignite a broader confrontation in America’s backyard—one with unpredictable consequences for regional stability and U.S.-China relations.
For now, the world watches warily as both sides dig in, with no clear off-ramp in sight.
