Taiwan sees Trump’s arrest of Maduro as helpful in deterring Xi

TAIPEI – Taiwan officials see US President Donald Trump’s capture of Venezuela’s leader as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. 

The

strikes that toppled Mr Nicolas Maduro

signalled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Mr Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, according to one senior official in Taipei’s security circle.

That reassured the global chip hub, the person said.

Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Mr Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, according to the official, who was not authorised to speak publicly about sensitive issues. China considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its own territory, so international laws do not factor into its calculations, the person said. 

What Beijing lacks is capability, not precedent, the official added.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry declined to comment.

For decades, the US – Taiwan’s top weapons supplier – has been a restraining force on Chinese aggression, with the risk of sanctions and American military action looming over any invasion. While Mr Trump has held off saying whether the US would defend Taipei from any attack by Beijing, he approved in December

an US$11 billion (

S$14.16 billion

) weapons package

for the island – one of its largest ever deals.

By contrast, Venezuela is the biggest buyer of Chinese weapons in South America, with sales totalling US$495 million in the decade ending 2020, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. That was only topped by Russia, which supplied Caracas with 60 per cent of its imported arms during that period.  

“The level of sophistication of US equipment, compared with the weapons Venezuela obtained from Russia and China, was fully exposed in this operation,” Vice-Defence Minister Hsu Szu-chien told lawmakers on Jan 5.

“Venezuela’s problem is not just which country its weapons came from – the most critical issue is maintenance,” added Mr Hsu, who until late 2025 was an adviser to Taiwan’s National Security Council. 

There is no evidence that Chinese defence systems failed or were suffering from maintenance issues, and the US has claimed it had extensive intelligence sources operating within Venezuela, which could have influenced how the military strike played out.

Mr Trump’s stunning late-night operation saw more than 150 US aircraft sweep into Venezuela, after the US neutralised the South American country’s air defences. US forces then grabbed Mr Maduro and his wife from a military base, and spirited them away by helicopter to a warship en route for trial in New York.

The fact that Venezuela’s military power was dismantled within hours by US forces will give Beijing plenty to think about, according to another senior national security official in Taiwan.

The bullish sentiment among Taiwanese officials – who have reason to talk up their position – contrasts with

nationalist sentiment sweeping Chinese social media

, where users said the strike offered a template for how Beijing could handle tensions with Taiwan.

On Taiwanese social media, opinions were divided. Some expressed concern the developments in Venezuela could embolden Beijing, while others voiced optimism the episode signalled a tougher US stance towards countries with close ties to China and Russia and could prompt Washington to focus more on the Indo-Pacific. BLOOMBERG