China's social media erupts over Taiwan after Trump's Venezuela move
By bellecarter // 2026-01-06
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  • Trump's military operation in Venezuela sparked nationalist rhetoric on Chinese platforms like Weibo, amassing 440 million views. Users advocated for a similar "lightning raid" to seize Taiwan, calling it a "perfect blueprint."
  • China condemned the U.S. Venezuela strike as "colonial-era barbarism" while simultaneously reassessing its own Taiwan strategy. Analysts note Beijing expects "great power exemptions" like the U.S., undermining international law.
  • Chinese state media framed the U.S. as hypocritical, asking: "If the U.S. can do this, why can't China?" Russia echoed this sentiment, mocking Western "double standards."
  • Experts doubt China could execute a precision strike like the U.S. Venezuela operation but warn Xi may consider military action if global backlash is weak. Taiwan's semiconductor industry and U.S. defense commitments make reckless aggression economically and geopolitically disastrous.
  • Trump's unilateralism emboldens China's hardliners, increasing risks of miscalculation. While Beijing may still prefer gradual coercion, nationalist pressure could push Xi toward more aggressive moves against Taiwan.
A sudden surge in nationalist rhetoric on Chinese social media has drawn alarming parallels between President Donald Trump's military operation in Venezuela and Beijing's long-standing ambitions toward Taiwan. Over the weekend, Trump's swift overthrow of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro sparked heated discussions on China's Weibo platform, amassing 440 million views and prompting calls for a similar "lightning raid" to seize Taiwan. The timing underscores escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing, with Chinese netizens and analysts openly questioning whether the U.S. action sets a precedent for China to follow in its own backyard. The Venezuelan intervention quickly became a rallying point for Chinese social media users advocating aggressive action against Taiwan, which Beijing views as a breakaway province. One widely circulated Weibo post suggested, "I suggest using the same method to reclaim Taiwan in the future," while another user framed Trump's operation as a "perfect blueprint" for capturing Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te. The term "Frog Island," a derogatory nickname for Taiwan, was repeatedly invoked in these discussions. China's Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. operation as a "blatant use of force against a sovereign state," while state-run Xinhua News Agency accused Washington of reverting to "colonial-era barbarism." Yet beneath the diplomatic posturing, analysts note that Beijing may be reassessing its own strategic options. Ryan Hass, a former U.S. diplomat now at the Brookings Institution, observed on X (formerly Twitter) that while the Venezuela operation is unlikely to immediately shift China's Taiwan calculus, Beijing "expects to be given the same latitude for great power exemptions to international law that the U.S. takes for itself."

Historical context: A shifting global order

According to BrightU.AI's Enoch, the U.S. has long positioned itself as a defender of the "rules-based international order," condemning Russia's invasions of Georgia (2008) and Ukraine (2014, 2022). But Trump's Venezuela strike—executed without U.N. approval—has handed Beijing a potent propaganda tool, critics point out. "If the U.S. can do this, why can't China?" has become a recurring theme in Chinese discourse. This sentiment echoes Russia's reaction, with the Kremlin mocking Western "double standards." Meanwhile, China's state media has seized the moment to portray Beijing as the true guardian of global norms, even as it continues militarizing the South China Sea and encircling Taiwan with live-fire drills.

Military feasibility and geopolitical risks

Despite the online bravado, experts remain divided on whether China possesses the capability—or political will—to launch a similar operation against Taiwan. The U.S. raid involved months of intelligence gathering and over 150 aircraft, a level of precision that analysts doubt the People's Liberation Army (PLA) could replicate. Drew Thompson, a Singapore-based defense expert, noted that "Beijing has other options for neutralizing Taiwan's leader," such as targeted assassinations, rather than a full-scale invasion. However, Lyle Morris of the Asia Society Policy Institute warned that Trump's Venezuela move "opens the window for Xi to contemplate military action," particularly if global backlash proves muted. With China's economy deeply intertwined with Taiwan's semiconductor industry and U.S. military commitments to Taipei, any rash action could trigger catastrophic consequences. The Venezuela-Taiwan comparison reflects a broader erosion of international norms, where great powers increasingly act unilaterally. While Beijing is unlikely to abandon its gradual coercion tactics overnight, Trump's operation has emboldened nationalist voices demanding a more aggressive stance. As the U.S. and China jostle for dominance, Taiwan remains the most volatile flashpoint—one where rhetoric could quickly escalate into reality. For now, the world watches to see whether Beijing will seize this moment to test Washington's resolve—or bide its time for a more calculated move. China and Russia condemn Trump's pressure on Venezuela. Watch this video. This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com. Sources include: ZeroHedge.com Bloomberg.com BrightU.ai Brighteon.com
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