China will support Venezuelan sovereignty “no matter what”
In her January 9th, 2026 regular press conference, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning reaffirmed China’s support for Venezuela and its sovereignty.
China attaches importance to its relations with Venezuela and maintains sound communication and cooperation with the Venezuelan government.
China will continue to firmly support Venezuela in upholding its sovereignty, dignity, national security and lawful rights and interests.
No matter what political changes may take place in Venezuela, it will not change China’s will of deepening practical cooperation in various fields with Venezuela and promoting common development.
Medvedev: 2026 is off to “a turbulent start”
Former Russian president and current deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitri Medvedev, remarked:
[2026’s] opening will be remembered for the abduction of Maduro … an utterly vile act of thuggery—or, to put it more elegantly, a full-blown catastrophe for international relations.
He noted two possible scenarios:
Either the United States quietly releases the kidnapped Venezuelan president under some face-saving pretext—which is unlikely—or he turns into the Latin American version of Nelson Mandela. The latter seems more probable.
In that case, his name will be etched into South American history right alongside Bolivar, Miranda and Chavez. And even if Trump, out of sheer stubbornness, refuses to pardon Maduro later, public pressure will almost certainly force Vance or another successor to do so.
He emphasized that the true reasoning for Imperialist America and Trump’s attacks is long-term control over Venezuelan oil.
Is Trump really prepared to launch a ground operation? That would absolutely require approval from Congress, and it would be far bloodier than the brazen kidnapping of Maduro. Moreover, the Senate has just tightened the leash on Trump, curbing his militarist impulses. And does the current administration even need such a war? Highly doubtful.
Imperialist America’s seizure of Venezuela-bound Russian oil tankers
To note, Imperialist America also seized one or more Russian oil tankers near Venezuela in international waters, a further act of piracy and breach of international law.
Aleksey Zhuravlyov, first deputy head of the Russian State Duma’s defense committee, stated:
We need to provide a military response: attack with torpedoes or sink a couple of American boats. This is nothing more than piracy: the seizure of a civilian vessel by the armed US Navy. It is essentially the same as an attack on Russian territory, since the tanker was flying our national flag.
He suggested a “firm” and “swift” response, perhaps even a nuclear one:
There is no doubt that we must respond firmly and swiftly—our military doctrine even envisages the use of nuclear weapons in response to such an attack. Especially since, according to available information, a Russian submarine and some other Russian military ships were located somewhere near the vessel.
What happened was a clear violation of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. But it bears recalling that the United States never ratified that convention.
He also noted that Imperialist America does not comply with international law anyway.
Russia’s TASS reported this morning that two Russian crew members of the Marinera (Маринера) have been safely released by Imperialist America upon their request.
MOFCOM on Chinese-Venezuelan trade relations
On January 8th, 2026, China’s Commerce Ministry (MOFCOM) spokesperson He Yadong questioned and condemned Imperialist America’s attempts to restrict Venezuela’s international economic relations, as reported by teleSUR.
Economic and trade cooperation between China and Venezuela is conducted between sovereign states and is protected by international law and the laws of both countries. No other country has the right to interfere.
Previously, on January 6th, spokesperson Mao Ning had stated:
China believes that all countries should respect the development paths chosen by the people of other countries, and abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. Major countries, in particular, should set a good example. No country should act as the world’s police or judge.
China champions the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, respects all countries’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, takes other countries’ legitimate security concerns seriously, and supports resolving differences and disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation. This is China’s solution for global security challenges and towards universal and common security.
China stands ready to work with other countries to defend the authority of international law, reject the law of the jungle, oppose interference in countries’ internal affairs and jointly uphold world peace and stability.
She did not directly respond to a reporter’s question regarding whether China would “call for sanctions against” Imperialist America.
To note, China has historically strongly opposed unilateral sanctions, especially since the USA constantly uses them as economic weapons, and typically only levies sanctions on specific individuals or companies.