Although Washington had long been under scrutiny for escalating pressure on Caracas, citing drug trafficking allegations and taking steps such as seizing vessels departing Venezuelan ports, its decision to resort to force at such an early stage came as a surprise to many countries, including Japan. The shock was compounded by the timing: just hours before Maduro and his wife were detained, Qiu Xiaoqi, a key architect of China’s Latin America policy, was present at the presidential palace as Beijing’s special envoy.
