Kinaforum

torsdag 8. januar 2026

Trump Plays Venezuelan Oil Card Against China

The U.S. raid on Venezuela and capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife have put a spotlight on Washington’s resolve to block China’s influence in a region the U.S. views as its backyard.

Though an alleged but unproven claim that the Maduro government was involved in a narco‑conspiracy has been pushed as the main driver of the strike, which a senior Venezuelan official said left at least 80 dead, and which critics say violated both international and U.S. law. U.S. President Donald Trump also cited Venezuela's energy resources in justifying the operation.

Trump has said he would “run” the country’s oil operations for an unspecified period and has begun discussions with American oil companies about operating them.

“We’re going to be taking a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground,” he said following the U.S. attack.

US has right to take over any country for its resources: Miller

“Belligerent” was how one Democratic lawmaker described a diatribe given by top White House adviser Stephen Miller on CNN Monday evening regarding the Trump administration’s right to take over Venezuela – or any other country – if doing so is in the interest of the US.

To Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), however, Miller was simply providing viewers with “a very good definition of imperialism” as he described the worldview the administration is operating under as it takes control of Venezuela and eyes other countries, including Greenland, that it believes it can and should invade.

“This is what imperialism is all about,” Sanders told CNN‘s Jake Tapper. “And I suspect that people all over the world are saying, ‘Wow, we’re going back to where we were 100 years ago, or 50 years ago, where the big, powerful countries were exploiting poorer countries for their natural resources.’”

How Trump’s Venezuela gamble is making Asian stocks great again

As the globe puzzles over US President Donald Trump’s sudden pivot toward regime change and plunder, investors can’t seem to get enough of Asia. This region’s equity bourses are enjoying their best-ever start to a year, as evidenced by the 4% jump in the MSCI Asia Pacific Index so far in 2026. Local foreign exchange gushes are registering the best start to a year since at least 2023. Tech-centric bourses in South Korea and Taiwan are hitting new record highs.

Though this latter dynamic also reflects the global artificial intelligence trade, it doesn’t detract from the point that Trump’s geopolitical adventurism in Venezuela — and perhaps elsewhere — is making Asian assets great again.

US stocks are up, too, throwing some cold water on a revival of the “sell America” trade. Yet there’s clearly a renewed impetus for investors to find opportunities outside the US economy, which is about to go through some things.

China finds risks, opportunities as Trump pushes for ‘spheres of influence’

Hours before United States special forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last Saturday, Maduro met with China’s special envoy to the Latin American country to reaffirm their nations’ “strategic relationship”.

Now the decades-long relationship is in question, as is the future of billions of dollars of Chinese investment in the country. At the same time, the US has handed China a new opportunity to assert its dominance in its own back yard, including on its claim to self-governing Taiwan, say analysts.Under the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, recently revived by US President Donald Trump, the Western Hemisphere falls under the US sphere of influence – and the US only.

Trump invoked the doctrine in his latest national security strategy published late last year. Originally intended to keep Europe out of the Western Hemisphere, Trump’s version emphasises the need to counter China’s presence there.

China announces another new trade measure against Japan as tensions rise

China escalated its trade tensions with Japan on Wednesday by launching an investigation into imported dichlorosilane, a chemical gas used in making semiconductors, a day after it imposed curbs on the export of so-called dual-use goodsthat could be used by Japan’s military.

The Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a statement that it had launched the investigation following an application from the domestic industry showing the price of dichlorosilane imported from Japan had decreased 31% between 2022 and 2024. “The dumping of imported products from Japan has damaged the production and operation of our domestic industry,” the ministry said.

The measure comes a day after Beijing banned exports to Japan of dual-use goods that can have military applications.

South Korean leader says he asked China’s Xi to act as mediator on North Korea issues

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said Wednesday he asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to serve as a mediator to help resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis and ease animosities between the two Koreas.

Speaking with reporters traveling with him on the Shanghai leg of his China trip, Lee said he made the request when he met Xi for a summit in Beijing on Monday. Lee cited the Chinese president as replying that patience was needed on North Korean issues.

“We’re making efforts but all our channels (with North Korea) are completely blocked so we can’t communicate at all. I told him it would be good for China to play the role of a mediator for peace,” Lee said in televised comments. “President Xi appraised our efforts and said we need to be patient.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney to visit China next week as Canada pivots away from the US

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Wednesday that he will visit China next week to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping as Canada looks to reduce its reliance on the United States, which has threatened its economy and sovereignty.

It is the first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister in more than eight years. Xi invited Carney to China when they met during an Asia-Pacific summit in October. The visit comes as the two countries move to restore stronger ties after years of tensions.

“We’re forging new partnerships around the world to transform our economy from one that has been reliant on a single trade partner, to one that is stronger and more resilient to global shock,” Carney said in a statement on Wednesday.

Carney will travel to China from Jan. 13 to 17. He will also attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland from Jan. 19 to 21.

Trump’s Greenland gambit puts China on edge after Venezuela operation

U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to take control of Greenland has raised alarm in Beijing, following Washington’s military operation that seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Trump, who has long advocated U.S. control over the self-governing Danish territory, repeatedly emphasized on Sunday that Greenland is strategically important.

“We need Greenland from a national security situation. It’s so strategic. Right now, Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One.

In an email to Chinese state media Xinhua News Agency, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Trump views acquiring Greenland as a national security priority to deter rivals in the Arctic. She added that his team is weighing a range of options — including the possibility of using military force.

Can China and South Korea reset complex ties after Xi-Lee summit?

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, held their second summit in two months on Monday in a bid to steer the complex ties between their nations amid rising tensions in their neighbourhood.

Lee had hosted Xi for talks on the sidelines of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju.On Sunday, it was Lee’s turn to make a trip to Beijing, starting a four-day visit – the first to China by a South Korean president since 2019.

South Korea finds itself in a complex position: It needs firm relations with China, a key economic partner, but Beijing’s ties with Seoul’s two strongest allies, the United States and Japan, have deteriorated in recent years. China and South Korea have their own differences too, over Taiwan, trade tensions, and maritime claims.

Torbjørn Færøvik: Indirect Rule - The U.S., Venezuela and the Shadow of Vietnam

“The United States will govern Venezuela,” Donald Trump declares. But in what way? The country is almost three times larger than Vietnam. It consists of jungle, mountains, coastline, savannas, and porous borders with Colombia, Brazil, and Guyana. It has weak state institutions, armed groups, smuggling networks, and regional power centers.

All indications are that such a country cannot be “governed” from the outside. What the United States can do—and will likely try to do—is to establish a form of indirect control. That is, to influence who has their hands on the most important levers of the state.

But the tracks are alarming. In Vietnam, U.S. involvement began modestly. The aim was not to govern the country directly, but to prevent communist dominance and secure lasting American influence in the region. At first, the United States provided advisers, economic assistance, and political support to the regime in South Vietnam, but it had no ambition to deploy large military forces.

Then reality began to bite.

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What Trump’s Venezuela Gambit Means for China and Taiwan

The abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces early Saturday was an unprecedented act of derring-do worthy of a Hollywood spy caper. But experts worry this audacious undertaking risks fraying the last remaining threads of international norms, emboldening autocracies into new acts of aggression without fear of consequences.

Anxiety is especially high that China could now act in similar fashion against regional leaders whom it deems problematic—not least in Taiwan, the self-ruling island that Beijing claims as a renegade province and has repeatedly threatened to invade. Last week, China held enormous war games entirely encircling the island of 23 million in apparent response to a record $11.1 billion American arms package to Taipei.

China’s drone carriers hide in plain sight among merchant ships

What if China’s next aircraft carrier doesn’t look like a warship at all – but like an ordinary cargo vessel quietly turning global trade routes into launchpads for drone warfare?

This month, multiple media outlets reported that China appears to be testing a new way to rapidly convert civilian cargo ships into drone-launch platforms, according to recent imagery and analysis. Photos emerging since late December show a Chinese medium cargo vessel, Zhongda 79, reconfigured to carry a modular, truck-mounted electromagnetic catapult system capable of launching large fixed-wing combat drones, with the activity centered at Shanghai’s Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard.

The system consists of multiple heavy trucks locked together to form a scalable launch track, potentially allowing drones weighing up to two tons to be launched without a traditional runway, either from land or from flat-decked merchant ships.

South Korea and China seek improved ties amid state visit

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday, saying their summit was an important opportunity for full restoration of bilateral relations.

Lee said in opening remarks that the two countries would work to further develop their strategic cooperative partnership, after tense ties in recent years over issues including North Korea and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

He said that he wished to open a "new phase" in bilateral relations, "based on the trust" between himself and Xi. He also pledged to "seek feasible alternatives together for peace on the Korean Peninsula," amid the continued tensions with the regime in Pyongyang, with China still an important backer of North Korea.

Taiwan closely monitoring Venezuela developments

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity.

The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations.

The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation in Venezuela, including the country’s role in international drug trafficking and the humanitarian crisis under its authoritarian government.

China-Made Military Radars May Have Failed Venezuela During US Raid

The U.S. raid on the Venezuelan capital Saturday, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, demonstrated the U.S. retains a technological edge over hardware obtained from its Chinese ally, a senior Taiwanese official said Monday.

The attack in Caracas could mark a reputational blow for Beijing, as the JY‑27A mobile anti‑stealth radars sold to Venezuela, and touted as capable of detecting fifth‑generation stealth aircraft like U.S. F‑22s and F‑35s from over 150 miles away, purportedly failed to give an early warning at the critical hour.

U.S. forces bombed infrastructure at several spots around northern Venezuela, which Venezuelan officials said killed more than 80 people, including civilians. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were flown to New York City where they face charges related to “narcoterrorism.” Critics say the operation violated international law and possibly U.S. law, pointing out it was launched without prior congressional notification or approval.

What US Capture of Maduro Means for China’s Designs on Taiwan

The United States’ abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in the early hours of Saturday went viral on Chinese social media, where netizens speculated Chinese leaders might use the attack as justification for a future decapitation strike on Taiwan.

But some longtime China watchers say it is unlikely to affect Beijing's calculus when it comes to the island democracy.

“I don't expect today's events in Venezuela will dramatically alter Beijing’s calculus on Taiwan. Beijing has not refrained from kinetic or other actions on Taiwan out of deference to international law and norms. It has pursued a strategy of coercion without violence,” wrote Ryan Hass, director of the Brookings Institution think tank’s China Center on X.

Chinese digital blueprint for Vietnam’s social engineering

A disturbing synchronization is emerging in Vietnam’s policy planning, revealing a shift toward deep social engineering. On one hand, Hanoi is proposing to handpick an “elite” workforce right from birth; on the other, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is pushing to score and classify citizens based on digital behavior.

When these two puzzle pieces are joined, the picture of a society stratified and surveyed from cradle to grave, mirroring the Chinese model becomes unmistakably clear. The government’s plan to build an “elite human resources” program evokes the concept of state-directed class filtering. Citizens are placed into state filters from the start, selecting who is deemed a “red seed” for special treatment.

As these individuals mature, they fall into a second net: the MPS’s citizen scoring system via the VNeID application. The proposal to classify citizens as “positive,” “basic,” or “unranked” completes a closed loop of control.

China Flexes Hypersonic Missile in New Military Drills

The Chinese military began its annual training for the new year on Sunday by flexing its hypersonic strike capabilities—weapons capable of flying toward targets at more than five times the speed of sound—during a missile drill, state media reported.

In a short video titled "Training Never Stops" released on its website, China's Defense Ministry claimed that all People's Liberation Army troops "broke away" from what it called a "holiday state" after a three-day break and began combat-readiness training.