China to Keep Communication and Cooperation with Venezuela's Interim President

JAKARTA - The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it would maintain communication and relations with the interim government of Venezuela after the United States (US) arrested President Nicolas Maduro.

"China values its relationship with Venezuela and maintains good communication and cooperation with the Venezuelan government," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning, quoted by Antara.

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez via social media stated that he had met with the Chinese Ambassador to Venezuela Lan Hu on Thursday (8/1).

Rodriguez said he appreciated China's firm and consistent stance in strongly condemning the serious violation of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty that referred to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores by the US on January 3, 2025.

"Whatever political changes may occur in Venezuela, they will not change China's desire to deepen practical cooperation in various fields with Venezuela and promote common development," Mao Ning added.

Mao Ning said China would continue to firmly support Venezuela in upholding its sovereignty, dignity, national security, and rights.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a Telegram post on Thursday (8/1) that Caracas reaffirmed its commitment to deepening economic and trade agreements with China.

"Venezuela reaffirms its commitment to deepening trade and economic agreements with the People's Republic of China," Gil said.

He emphasized that the bilateral relationship "is supported by the international legal framework and the regulations of the two sovereign countries".

Previously, US President Donald Trump was reported to have asked Delcy Rodriguez for the Venezuelan government to stop cooperating with Russia, China, Iran, and Cuba.

In addition, Venezuela must work exclusively with the US in oil production and give preference to Washington when selling crude oil.​​​​​​​

Donald Trump also announced that the interim Venezuelan authorities had agreed to the transfer of between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil to the US.

In fact, based on data from the Venezuelan national oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela s.a. (PDVSA), the country exported 952,000 barrels per day in November 2025, before the US military blockade that began in December 2025. Of this amount, 778,000 barrels were sent to China, giving Beijing an 81.7 percent share of Venezuela's oil exports.

Venezuelan oil accounts for about 4 percent of China's total oil imports, which are mostly sourced from the Middle East and Russia.

Venezuela itself has the world's largest proven oil reserves, estimated at 303 billion barrels, which account for about 17 percent of global reserves.

According to the American Enterprise Institute, China has invested 2.1 billion US dollars in Venezuela's oil industry since 2016.

Morgan Stanley data shows that China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) holds a stake in a consortium with concessions covering 1.6 billion barrels of oil, while China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) holds a stake covering 2.8 billion barrels.

In addition, according to AidData, a US-based research organization, China provided loans, debt, and capital investments to Venezuela of 106 billion US dollars between 2000 and 2023.

Currently, Venezuela is estimated to have a debt of around 17-19 billion US dollars to China in the form of outstanding loans.