US Operations in Venezuela Shatter Beijing’s Influence in Latin America: Analysts

China’s inaction following Nicolás Maduro’s capture by the United States exposes its unreliability, one expert said.

Venezuelans celebrate in Santiago, Chile, on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Venezuela leader Nicolas Maduro had been captured and flown out of Caracas. The Canadian Press/AP-Esteban Felix

Beijing’s failure to defend its “all-weather” ally Venezuela following the United States’ capture of the nation’s leader Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3 illustrates its incompetence and undermines its political and economic leverage across Latin America, experts say.

This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump stated that he anticipated temporary American oversight of Venezuela’s interim government could extend for years in an interview with The New York Times published on Jan. 8.