Just before U.S. forces apprehended him, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro engaged in a meeting with a Chinese diplomat, underscoring the ongoing strategic rivalry between the United States and China in the Western Hemisphere.

On Friday, Maduro welcomed Qiu Xiaoqi, China’s special envoy for Latin American affairs, at the Miraflores Presidential Palace. Their discussion emphasized the strong alliance between Caracas and Beijing, with Maduro expressing his commitment to fostering what he described as a “multipolar world of development and peace.”

In an intriguing turn of events, President Trump also had a meeting on Friday evening with David Perdue, the U.S. Ambassador to China.

Following these diplomatic engagements, President Donald Trump revealed that U.S. military forces had launched operations targeting sites in Venezuela, leading to the capture of Maduro and his wife. They were subsequently transported out of Venezuela, marking a significant intensification of U.S. efforts against the embattled leader.

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

The U.S. operation appears to mark the most direct U.S. military action against a sitting head of state in Latin America since Panama in 1989, with Trump’s administration framing the capture as the culmination of months of allegations that Maduro trafficked drugs into the United States and ruled illegitimately.

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.