Beijing Slams U.S. Detention of Venezuela’s Maduro as ‘Hegemonic’

China issued a fierce condemnation of U.S. military strikes in Venezuela on Saturday, calling the operation a violation of international law and a “hegemonic act.”

The foreign ministry expressed “deep shock” in a statement released Saturday following reports that the U.S. had detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. China “strongly condemns the United States’ flagrant use of force against a sovereign nation and its action against a head of state,” a ministry spokesperson said in the statement.