China Condemns Trump’s Attempt to Seize Control of Venezuela’s Oil as Illegal

China on Wednesday sharply criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned intervention in Venezuela’s oil sector.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning described the move as an “outrageous use of force against Venezuela.”

He says Washington’s demand that the country manage its oil resources according to an “America first” policy amounts to harassment, violates international law, and infringes on the rights of the Venezuelan people.

Mao emphasised that Venezuela has full sovereignty over its natural resources and economic activities and stressed that China’s interests in the country must also be protected.

China, a key ally of Venezuela and its largest oil purchaser, has repeatedly voiced support for Caracas amid growing international pressure.

On his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump announced that Venezuela’s interim government would hand over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of “sanctioned oil” to the United States, with proceeds to be controlled by Washington to “benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.”

The announcement followed U.S. military action in Venezuela on Saturday, during which authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized over alleged drug offences.

Trump said the United States would temporarily manage Venezuelan affairs, citing opportunities for major U.S. oil companies to invest in infrastructure repair and production development.