https://www.scmp.com/rss/522764/feed The latest news and top stories on Yvan Gil, Venezuela's Minister of Foreign Affairs since January 2023. He previously held roles as Minister of Agriculture and Chargé d'affaires to the European Union, demonstrating expertise in agricultural policy and international relations. A member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Gil is a vocal proponent of multilateralism and has strongly condemned US sanctions. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi will travel to China next week, in what is expected to be the first visit by a Latin American leader to Beijing since the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in an early January operation. Beijing says the trip will focus on strengthening political dialogue and expanding economic cooperation. The state visit will run from February 1 to 7, according to China’s foreign ministry, and comes at a tense moment in the western hemisphere following... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341315/xi-meet-uruguays-orsi-first-latin-america-china-visit-us-capture-maduro?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3341315/xi-meet-uruguays-orsi-first-latin-america-china-visit-us-capture-maduro?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 21:55:02 +0000 Xinlu Liang Xinlu Liang China said on Friday it would continue to offer its firm support to Venezuela after its ambassador met the country’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez. She described her meeting with Chinese ambassador Lan Hu as “cordial” and thanked Beijing for its condemnation of the abduction of former leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. “We value China’s firm and consistent stance in strongly condemning the serious violation of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty,” Rodriguez... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339375/china-says-it-still-deeply-committed-venezuela-ambassador-meets-new-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3339375/china-says-it-still-deeply-committed-venezuela-ambassador-meets-new-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 12:30:24 +0000 Shi Jiangtao Shi Jiangtao President Donald Trump’s reluctance to authorise direct military intervention in Venezuela underscored the US dilemma of how to reassert dominance in its traditional sphere while managing escalation risks in multipolar rivalry with China and Russia, observers said. But they cautioned against seeing US hesitation as weakness, noting intensified sanctions, naval blockades and diplomatic pressure from Washington, alongside a recalibrated strategy to sustain influence without overcommitment against... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337845/trumps-military-restraint-venezuela-power-play-eye-china-or-weakness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337845/trumps-military-restraint-venezuela-power-play-eye-china-or-weakness?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 14:00:18 +0000 Meredith Chen Meredith Chen China extended its support to Venezuela and opposed “unilateral bullying” in a foreign ministers’ phone call on Wednesday amid rising US pressure on the South American country. Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil that China and Venezuela were strategic partners and that mutual trust and support were a tradition of bilateral ties. In a veiled swipe at the US, Wang said “China opposes all forms of unilateral bullying and supports countries in safeguarding their... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336879/china-fm-wang-yi-reaffirms-beijings-backing-venezuela-us-pressure-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336879/china-fm-wang-yi-reaffirms-beijings-backing-venezuela-us-pressure-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:00:11 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service On the face of it, the United States appears closer than ever to mounting a military campaign to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power in Venezuela. US President Donald Trump says he has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations inside the Caribbean nation, and has massed troops, fighter jets and warships just off its coastline. US service members in the region have been barred from taking Thanksgiving leave. Airlines have cancelled flights to Venezuela after the Federal Aviation... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334185/us-preparing-invade-venezuela-or-sabre-rattling-make-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334185/us-preparing-invade-venezuela-or-sabre-rattling-make-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Nov 2025 06:04:20 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Chinese President Xi Jinping has reaffirmed Beijing’s steadfast support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, sending a congratulatory letter on the eve of the embattled leader’s birthday that pledged continued backing for the South American country’s sovereignty amid mounting regional tensions and US military pressure. In the message, released by Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry over the weekend, Xi described China and Venezuela as “intimate friends, dear brothers and good partners”. He vowed to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334007/xi-jinping-pledges-support-nicolas-maduro-and-criticises-us-actions-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3334007/xi-jinping-pledges-support-nicolas-maduro-and-criticises-us-actions-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:05:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters The United States on Monday formally designated Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organisation, layering additional terrorism-related sanctions on the group it has said includes President Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking officials. Venezuela’s government rejected what it called a “ridiculous” US plan to designate the “non-existent” group. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this month the US would designate Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, as a foreign... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333987/venezuela-rejects-us-terrorist-label-nonexistent-cartel-de-los-soles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333987/venezuela-rejects-us-terrorist-label-nonexistent-cartel-de-los-soles?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 13:00:44 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei China’s official military newspaper has accused the United States of “gunboat diplomacy” amid rising tensions with Venezuela. The Pentagon announced on Sunday that a strike group including the US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, had been deployed to the Caribbean, carrying thousands of service personnel and dozens of aircraft. US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he had not ruled out sending troops to Venezuela, while also expressing a willingness to engage in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333282/chinas-military-mouthpiece-hits-out-us-gunboat-diplomacy-venezuela-tensions-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3333282/chinas-military-mouthpiece-hits-out-us-gunboat-diplomacy-venezuela-tensions-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 12:00:28 +0000 Igor Patrick Igor Patrick Venezuela’s foreign minister said Wednesday that China pledged support for Caracas’ efforts to preserve peace in the Caribbean, quoting Ambassador Lan Hu as saying Beijing stood “in solidarity” as Washington pressed ahead with military strikes on boats it claimed were carrying drugs. Foreign Minister Yvan Gil met with Lan in Caracas and described the message from Beijing as a significant gesture at a time when the United States had deployed warships and launched two deadly operations in less... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326043/china-backs-venezuela-warns-us-against-bullying-after-second-deadly-sea-raid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3326043/china-backs-venezuela-warns-us-against-bullying-after-second-deadly-sea-raid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 16:02:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday said he “would constitutionally declare a republic in arms” if the South American country were attacked by forces that the United States government has deployed to the Caribbean. His comments during a rare news conference come as the US government this week was set to boost its maritime force in the waters off Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels. The US has not signaled any planned land incursion by the thousands of personnel... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323974/maduro-vows-declare-republic-arms-if-us-forces-caribbean-attack-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3323974/maduro-vows-declare-republic-arms-if-us-forces-caribbean-attack-venezuela?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Sep 2025 20:01:08 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen Beijing is likely to increase its economic support for Venezuela, its only all-weather strategic partner in South America, as tensions rise between Washington and Caracas. However, analysts suggest that China will hold back on direct military aid or actions that could provoke a direct confrontation with the United States. The assessment comes after Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Thursday that China opposed “any move that violates the purposes and principles of the United... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322869/us-heaping-pressure-venezuela-what-will-china-do?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3322869/us-heaping-pressure-venezuela-what-will-china-do?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 Aug 2025 13:00:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum insisted on Friday that there would be “no invasion of Mexico” following reports that US President Donald Trump had ordered the United States military to target Latin American drug cartels. “There will be no invasion of Mexico,” Sheinbaum declared after The New York Times reported that Trump had secretly signed a directive ordering military force against cartels that his administration has declared terrorist organisations. “We were informed that this executive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3321284/mexico-vows-no-invasion-over-trump-threat-target-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3321284/mexico-vows-no-invasion-over-trump-threat-target-cartels?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Aug 2025 17:27:23 +0000