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 Nicolás 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 U.S. capture of the nation’s former 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 said he anticipated that temporary U.S. oversight of Venezuela’s interim government could extend for years in an interview with The New York Times published on Jan. 8.