Venezuela denounces U.S. "aggression" after Trump's post concerning its airspace

The Venezuelan government on Saturday denounced the U.S. threat that "seeks to affect the sovereignty of its airspace," calling it "another extravagant, illegal and unjustified aggression against the Venezuelan people."

In an official statement, Caracas rejected Washington's attempt to apply extraterritorial jurisdiction to Venezuela, saying the U.S. move threatens Venezuela's national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Amid heightening tensions between the two countries, U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier on Saturday that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered closed "in its entirety."

"To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social without elaboration.

The statement called Trump's remarks a hostile, unilateral, and arbitrary act, incompatible with the most basic principles of international law.

The U.S. move amounts to an explicit threat of the use of force, prohibited under the UN Charter, the statement said.

Under the 1944 Chicago Convention, each state exercises exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory, the statement said, stressing Venezuela will not accept "orders, threats or interference" from any foreign power.

The statement appealed to the international community to firmly reject the "immoral act of aggression," adding that Venezuela will respond with legality and dignity.

On the same day, Venezuela's Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez strongly condemned the latest threat from the U.S. government on social media, calling it an illegal and arbitrary act of aggression that violates international law and seeks to infringe upon the absolute sovereignty of Venezuelan airspace.

He said that no foreign power has the right to interfere in, block, or impose conditions on the country's sovereign decisions, stressing that Venezuela will defend its sovereignty at all costs.

He also called on the international community to condemn the act, warning that it threatens peace and stability in Latin America and the Caribbean region. Venezuela's largest airport, Simón Bolívar International Airport, continued normal operations on Saturday following Trump's remarks.

Airline schedules also indicate that La Chinita International Airport in Zulia state, western Venezuela, maintained regular flight operations.

Venezuela denounces U.S. "aggression" after Trump's post concerning its airspace

Venezuela denounces U.S. "aggression" after Trump's post concerning its airspace

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting