A Chinese envoy on Monday strongly condemned the US military action against Venezuela at a UN Security Council emergency meeting.

"China is deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the unilateral, illegal, and bullying acts by the United States," said Sun Lei, the charge d'affaires of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

Sun made the remarks at an emergency meeting of the Security Council following the US assault on Venezuela.

"On January 3, the United States blatantly launched large-scale military strikes against Venezuela, seized by force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, and took them out of the country.

“It claimed that it would 'run' Venezuela and even did not rule out launching a second round of military operations on an even larger scale," said Sun.

He added that while the international community has repeatedly expressed grave concerns over the US sanctions and threats of force against Venezuela, Washington has disregarded such concerns and trampled on Venezuela's sovereignty, and seriously violated the principles of sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs, the peaceful settlement of international disputes, and the prohibition of the use of force in international relations.

"These principles constitute the fundamental tenets of the UN Charter and form the cornerstone of maintaining international peace and security.

“The United States has placed its own power above multilateralism, and military actions above diplomatic efforts, posing a grave threat to peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean and even internationally.

“China firmly opposes this, and the international community has also expressed widespread grave concerns and strong condemnation," said Sun.

"We urge the United States to heed the overwhelming voice of the international community, abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, cease infringing on the sovereignty and security of other countries, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and return to the path of political solutions through dialogue and negotiations," he said.

China calls on the United States to ensure the personal safety of President Maduro and his wife and to release them at once, he added.

"The lessons of history offer a stark warning. Military means are not the solution to problems, and the indiscriminate use of force will only lead to greater crises,” Sun added.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, meanwhile, raised concerns about the ramifications of the US operation in Venezuela.

"I am deeply concerned about the possible intensification of instability in the country, the potential impact on the region, and the precedent it may set for how relations between and among states are conducted," Guterres said in a statement delivered to the council by UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo.

Guterres also expressed concern that the US operation did not respect the rules of international law.

The UN Charter states that members "shall refrain in their ⁠international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state."

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said the US carried out "a surgical ⁠law enforcement operation facilitated by the US military against two indicted fugitives of American justice," referring to Maduro and his wife.

"There is no war against Venezuela or its people. We are not occupying a country," Waltz said.

"We're not going to allow the Western Hemisphere to be used as a base of operation for our nation's adversaries. You cannot continue to have the largest energy reserves in the world under the control of adversaries of the United States, under the control of illegitimate leaders, and not benefiting the people of Venezuela."

Venezuela's UN Ambassador Samuel Moncada called the US operation to capture Maduro "an illegitimate armed attack lacking any legal justification."

Guterres called on all Venezuelan actors to engage in an inclusive and democratic dialogue, adding: "I welcome and am ready to support all efforts aimed at assisting Venezuelans in finding a peaceful way forward."

Russia and Colombia also joined China in condemning the US military operation as illegal.

"Unintelligible murmurings and attempts to avoid principled assessments by those who in other circumstances froth at the mouth and demand that others respect the UN Charter today seem particularly hypocritical and unseemly," said Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia.

Colombia, which requested Monday's meeting, condemned the US operation as a clear violation of the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Venezuela.

The US cannot be held accountable by the UN Security Council for any such violation, as it wields a veto – along with China, Russia, Britain and France – so it can block any action. (Xinhua/Reuters)