ISTANBUL 

China’s president on Monday criticized “unilateral and bullying acts,” urging "major countries" to abide by international law, according to local media.

“All countries should respect the development paths chosen by the peoples of other nations, and abide by international law, as well as the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with major countries taking the lead in doing so,” Xi Jinping said.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Micheal Martin, the prime minister of Ireland, in the capital Beijing, Xinhua News reported.

The Chinese leader's comments came as the US launched a pre-dawn raid on Venezuela on Saturday, capturing its president and first lady, who were later flown to New York.

Xi said: “In a world beset with changes and chaos, unilateral and bullying acts are severely undermining the international order.”

The US launched a “large-scale” operation against Caracas on Saturday, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who are in the US to face criminal charges at a court in New York.

Some 80 people were killed in the US raid, the New York Times reported, citing Venezuelan officials.

Maduro and Flores are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. They face US federal charges tied to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations.

Maduro has denied the accusations, and officials in Venezuela’s capital Caracas have called for the couple’s release.