Maduro’s capture is a blow to China. But on Chinese social media it’s being hailed as a blueprint for Taiwan

As US special forces were in the final stages of planning a daring nighttime operation into the heart of the Venezuelan capital, President Nicolás Maduro was posing for photographs with China’s top envoy to Latin America and lavishing praise on Beijing’s leadership.

“I thank President Xi Jinping for his continued brotherhood, like an older brother,” Maduro told Chinese diplomat Qiu Xiaoqi, as laughter echoed through the exchange at the Miraflores Palace in Caracas.

Hours later, Maduro was snatched from his bedroom by elite Delta Force commandos from the US Army and China was staring at the stark reality it had just lost one of its staunchest partners in Latin America.

China and Venezuela have maintained close relations for decades, forged by a shared political ideology and mutual distrust of a world led by the United States.

Through an “all-weather strategic partnership” established in 2023, Beijing pulled Caracas further into its orbit with deepened economic aid and diplomatic support.