By Li Jingyao, Vision Times
In the early hours of Jan. 3, Venezuelan President and longtime dictator Nicolás Maduro was captured by U.S. forces in a targeted strike, sending shockwaves across the world. In the aftermath, online chatter began swirling after reports surfaced that Maduro had met with a special envoy sent by Chinese leader Xi Jinping just hours before his arrest. The whereabouts of that envoy are now unknown, with unverified rumors circulating that the envoy’s aircraft “may have crashed” while attempting to return to China.
According to Venezuela’s state broadcaster (VTV), on Friday, Jan. 2, Maduro received Qu Qiaoqi, identified as a special envoy of Xi Jinping, at the presidential palace in Miraflores. Also present at the meeting were Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, Foreign Minister Yván Gil, and China’s ambassador to Venezuela Lan Hu.
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Sending a message
The Maduro government said Qu “reaffirmed that China and Venezuela are unwavering strategic partners,” adding that the Chinese delegation’s visit underscored Beijing’s commitment to bilateral relations — “not only as trade and energy partners, but also as key political allies in the region.”
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During Maduro’s 2023 visit to China, bilateral ties were elevated to an “all-weather strategic partnership.”
But just hours later, multiple explosions were reported in the capital, Caracas. U.S. media later cited sources confirming that U.S. Delta Force units had captured Maduro, along with his wife Cilia Flores. Both have since been indicted in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Maduro pled not guilty in his first court appearance on Jan. 5.
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Was Maduro ‘tracked’ through a Huawei phone?
News of Maduro’s arrest quickly spread across Chinese social media, where users reacted with sarcasm and humor. Some mocked that Maduro had been “located” because of his use of Huawei smartphones, with one quip circulating widely: “Without Huawei’s positioning, they couldn’t have caught you.”
According to “Yahoo News,” Maduro had repeatedly showcased Huawei devices in public, portraying them as symbols of resistance to U.S. technological dominance. During a September 2023 press conference in Beijing, he prominently displayed a Huawei Mate X3, calling it a gift from Chinese friends and praising it as “Huawei’s latest technology,” noting that it enabled direct satellite communication.
In September last year, Maduro again appeared with a Huawei foldable phone — this time the Mate X6 — at a government press conference in Caracas. He claimed the device was “extremely secure,” asserting that “even if the United States deploys spy planes or satellites, it cannot conduct surveillance or wiretapping.”
Rumors swirl over Xi envoy’s fate
Meanwhile, Xi’s envoy Qu Qiaoqi has not been seen publicly since the meeting. Online users began asking, “Where is Qu Qiaoqi?” with some remarking that U.S. forces acted “the very next day,” showing no deference to Beijing.
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Several accounts have offered explosive claims, with some suggesting that Qu remained in Venezuela, while others allege his aircraft “crashed” and his whereabouts remain unknown. Economist and poet Su Xiaohe, speaking on social media, claimed that Qu’s mission went far beyond diplomatic messaging.
Su alleged that Qu brought Maduro not only Xi’s instructions, but also operational plans, including “money, weapons, confidence, and detailed schemes for future cooperation.” Su further claimed: “The U.S. military did not intend to kill Qu Qiaoqi. They advised him to return to the Chinese embassy, lie low for a couple of days, and then evacuate. But Qu insisted on leaving immediately.”
According to Su, Qu attempted to depart using a plane with a damaged tail section that was still undergoing repairs: “Qu ignored the warnings and decided to take off using the remaining runway, planning to fly to a neighboring country such as Cuba, Colombia, Panama, or Brazil. Reportedly, the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, and Qu Qiaoqi and several others were killed.”
Su emphasized that the information came from sources in Beijing. “Some said Qu rushed to leave because they had no idea what the U.S. would do next,” noted Su.
‘Xi loses another authoritarian ally’
Political commentator “Wall-Inside Ordinary Person” (墙内普通人) remarked that with Maduro’s arrest and extradition, Xi Jinping has lost yet another authoritarian ally, leaving only Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, and Ali Khamenei. He added that Iran’s theocratic regime is also increasingly unstable, suggesting Khamenei could one day face a similar fate.
He stated, “Expecting the U.S. military to arrest Xi Jinping or Putin is unrealistic. Anyone opposing the arrest of dictator Maduro is either the CCP or a CCP lackey, because human rights always come before sovereignty. Sovereignty without human rights is nothing but slave sovereignty.”
He argued that China’s democratic future can only be secured by the Chinese people themselves, adding that Iran’s situation offers a cautionary example. If Iran’s regime collapses, he warned, the CCP’s window for reform will rapidly narrow: “Even if Hu Chunhua comes to power in the future, if the CCP still refuses political reform, it will inevitably be overthrown by the Chinese people.”
Editorial note: Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Vision Times.
