Just before his apprehension by U.S. forces, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro held a meeting with a Chinese envoy, underscoring the ongoing geopolitical rivalry between Washington and Beijing within the Western Hemisphere.

On Friday, Maduro welcomed Qiu Xiaoqi, China’s special representative for Latin American affairs, to the Miraflores Presidential Palace. During their meeting, they reaffirmed the strategic alliance between Caracas and Beijing, with Maduro emphasizing a commitment to fostering a “multipolar world of development and peace.”

In a related development, President Donald Trump convened with the U.S. Ambassador to China, David Perdue, later that same evening.

Shortly thereafter, Trump announced a major military operation in which U.S. forces targeted sites across Venezuela, resulting in the capture of Maduro and his wife. They were subsequently flown out of the country, marking a significant escalation in efforts to pressure the Venezuelan leader.

When questioned on ‘Fox and Friends’ about the Chinese meeting prior to Maduro’s capture, Trump stated, “I have a very good relationship with Xi, and there’s not going to be a problem. They’re going to get oil.”

This U.S. intervention represents the most direct military action against a sitting Latin American head of state since the Panama operation in 1989. The Trump administration justifies the capture by citing longstanding accusations of Maduro’s involvement in drug trafficking to the United States and his illegitimate rule.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro received a Chinese government representative, Qiu Xiaoqi, at the presidential palace in Caracas on Friday, hours before Maduro was captured by the U.S. (Anadolu Agency via Reuters)

China, meanwhile, said it was “deeply shocked” by the U.S. action. 

“China is deeply shocked and strongly condemns the U.S.’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state and its action against its president,” Beijing’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Such hegemonic behavior by the U.S. seriously violates international law, infringes upon Venezuela’s sovereignty, and threatens peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean. China firmly opposes it,” it added.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Sept 18, 2016. (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

China has provided billions of dollars in financing and energy investment to expand its influence throughout Latin America through its Belt and Road Initiative and is Caracas’ largest crude oil importer.

The Trump administration has openly rejected that trajectory. Senior officials have said the U.S. intends to reassert the Monroe Doctrine, a long-standing policy opposing foreign powers establishing strategic footholds in the Americas, particularly authoritarian rivals such as China.

Venezuela has been a focal point of that competition. U.S. officials have accused Beijing, along with Russia and Iran, of propping up Maduro’s government as it faced international isolation, economic collapse and widespread allegations of corruption and narcotrafficking.