India, Jan. 12 -- WASHINGTON, January 12 - The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was designed to deliver a stark geopolitical warning to China, multiple Trump administration officials said. The raid aimed to curtail Beijing's two-decade campaign for economic and strategic influence in what Washington considers its hemisphere.

U.S. officials explicitly stated the operation intended to counter China's ambitions in Latin America. President Donald Trump framed it as a direct demand, stating he told China, "We don't want you there, you're not gonna be there." The move sought to end China's practice of leveraging debt for cheap Venezuelan oil and to signal that Washington will actively enforce its region...