Maduro’s capture reminds China of its darkest fears

BEIJING – When news broke that American special forces had

plucked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from his fortress in Caracas on Jan 3

and flown him to New York to face US charges, Chinese social media lit up like a firecracker as if Chinese New Year had come early.

One video doing the rounds shows Maduro in August 2025 at the Venezuelan embassy in Beijing, proudly brandishing a foldable Huawei phone gifted by Chinese President Xi Jinping. At the time, he declared that it was the best phone in the world, unhackable by the Americans.