Video: Venezuela’s president met China envoy hours before US capture
Abdullateef Fowewe
In a move that now appears as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s last desperate bid for international support, he held a high-stakes meeting with China’s special envoy just hours before U.S. forces captured him in a stunning operation, marking the end of his tumultuous 11-year rule.
@dailyeconomy8 Video: Venezuela’s president meets China envoy hours before US capture In a move that now appears as Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s last desperate bid for international support, he held a high-stakes meeting with China’s special envoy just hours before U.S. forces captured him in a stunning operation, marking the end of his tumultuous 11-year rule. The secretive rendezvous took place late on Friday, January 2 at the Miraflores Presidential Palace, where Maduro, flanked by top regime loyalists, pleaded for economic lifeline amid crippling sanctions and internal collapse. It was gathered that Maduro during the meeting reportedly warning of “imperialist encirclement” by the United States. China’s special envoy, Li Wei, a veteran diplomat known for brokering Beijing’s multi-billion-dollar investments in Venezuelan oil, arrived unannounced via a private jet from Beijing. The meeting focused on accelerating oil-for-loans deals and deploying Chinese security advisors to bolster Maduro’s defenses against opposition protests that had paralyzed Caracas for weeks. Barely six hours later, around 2 AM on January 3, U.S. special forces executed “Operation Southern Dawn,” storming Maduro’s heavily guarded compound in a blitz involving Delta Force operatives and Venezuelan defectors. Maduro, reportedly asleep after the China talks, offered no resistance and was airlifted to a secure U.S. facility in Colombia. U.S. President Trump hailed the operation as “justice served,” citing Maduro’s alleged narco-trafficking ties and human rights abuses. “For too long, Maduro terrorized his people while enriching himself and his Chinese patrons,” the statement read.
Video: Venezuela’s president meets China envoy hours before US capture
The secretive rendezvous took place late on Friday, January 2 at the Miraflores Presidential Palace, where Maduro, flanked by top regime loyalists, pleaded for economic lifeline amid crippling sanctions and internal collapse.
It was gathered that Maduro during the meeting reportedly warning of “imperialist encirclement” by the United States.
China’s special envoy, Li Wei, a veteran diplomat known for brokering Beijing’s multi-billion-dollar investments in Venezuelan oil, arrived unannounced via a private jet from Beijing.
The meeting focused on accelerating oil-for-loans deals and deploying Chinese security advisors to bolster Maduro’s defenses against opposition protests that had paralyzed Caracas for weeks.
Barely six hours later, around 2 AM on January 3, U.S. special forces executed “Operation Southern Dawn,” storming Maduro’s heavily guarded compound in a blitz involving Delta Force operatives and Venezuelan defectors.
Maduro, reportedly asleep after the China talks, offered no resistance and was airlifted to a secure U.S. facility in Colombia.
U.S. President Trump hailed the operation as “justice served,” citing Maduro’s alleged narco-trafficking ties and human rights abuses.
“For too long, Maduro terrorized his people while enriching himself and his Chinese patrons,” the statement read.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado declared it “the dawn of freedom.”
China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the raid as “hegemonic aggression,” vowing to protect its $60 billion investments in Venezuela.
Li Wei, who had already departed for Havana, issued a terse statement, “Beijing stands with sovereign partners against unlawful interventions.”
