By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) – China on Wednesday urged the US to avoid interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs, responding to Washington’s expanding military operations against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

Beijing “firmly supports the proclamation of Latin America and the Caribbean as a zone of peace,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing.

“China opposes any moves that violate the premises and principles of the UN Charter and other countries' sovereignty and security, the interference of external forces in Venezuela's internal affairs and any pretext,” Mao said.

The comment followed an announcement by US Southern Command that a US strike on a vessel in the Eastern Pacific on Sunday killed three people suspected of narcotics trafficking.

"On Nov. 15 (Saturday), at the direction of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization," the command said on US social media company X, using a secondary title for the defense secretary.

The US State Department separately said that Cartel de los Soles, a group the US alleges is led by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, will be designated a terrorist organization.

"The Department of State intends to designate Cartel de los Soles as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), effective November 24, 2025. Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary," the statement said.

Washington has also deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, in the Caribbean Sea as part of its widening campaign against drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks.

Mao said Beijing hopes “the US will engage in normal law enforcement and judicial cooperation through bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks and choose the course of action that is conducive to peace and security in our seat.”

China’s remarks also came amid reports that US President Donald Trump authorized the CIA to prepare covert operations inside Venezuela as part of a broader pressure campaign targeting Maduro’s government.

The New York Times, citing multiple people briefed on the matter, reported that Trump signed off on potential covert measures that could prepare a battlefield for further action. The report also said the White House has reopened back-channel talks with Caracas, and that Maduro at one point signaled he might step down after a transition period.

In a televised address Monday, Maduro warned that any US intervention would mark the “political end” of Trump’s leadership, accusing figures around the US president of “provoking” an armed conflict to damage him politically. He reiterated Venezuela’s readiness for direct dialogue, saying diplomacy remains his government’s “invariable” position.

Since early September, the US has conducted 21 strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, which it claimed were smuggling drugs, killing 83 people. Trump has suggested he could also hit alleged trafficking targets on Venezuelan territory.

China has previously opposed such US actions.