{"id":2530872,"date":"2026-01-07T08:43:58","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T13:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-maduro-capture-is-a-warning-for-china-stay-out-of-our-hemisphere\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T08:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T13:47:17","slug":"trumps-maduro-capture-is-a-warning-for-china-stay-out-of-our-hemisphere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trumps-maduro-capture-is-a-warning-for-china-stay-out-of-our-hemisphere\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s Maduro Capture Is A Warning For China: Stay Out Of Our Hemisphere"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrumps-maduro-capture-is-a-warning-for-china-stay-out-of-our-hemisphere%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2530872&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Trump presented the U.S. seizure and extradition of Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro as a law-enforcement action tied to U.S. narcotics charges,but the move carries major geopolitical consequences-most notably for China,described as the second-biggest loser after Maduro himself.<\/p>\n<p>The article argues that China has for decades built deep strategic and economic ties with Venezuela: hundreds of bilateral agreements, more than $100 billion in loans secured by Venezuelan resources, purchase of over 80% of Venezuela&#8217;s oil exports, meaningful investments by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/living-through-a-socialist-collapse-an-insiders-account-of-venezuelas-demise\/\" title=\"Living Through A Socialist Collapse: An Insider\u2019s Account Of ...\u2019s Demise\">state-owned enterprises<\/a>, and arms sales that make China a top supplier.Beijing elevated relations with Maduro to an &#8220;all-weather strategic partnership&#8221; as recently as 2023-24.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond official ties, the piece highlights concerns about Chinese transnational criminal organizations supplying synthetic drug precursors, using ports for transit, and laundering large illicit proceeds-activities the author says pose a U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/state-dept-spox-largest-threat-to-u-s-national-security-are-u-s-cops\/\" title=\"State Dept Spox: \u2018Largest Threat to U.S. National Security are U.S. Cops\u2019\">national security threat<\/a>. The Trump administration&#8217;s 2025 national-security strategy and measures like sanctioning tankers are presented as direct countermeasures to China&#8217;s regional expansion.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. raid that removed Maduro is portrayed as a diplomatic and technological embarrassment for China-stranding a high-level delegation and exposing weaknesses in Chinese-supplied defenses-and as a significant setback to Beijing&#8217;s two-decade effort to secure influence in latin America. The author concludes that China&#8217;s credibility with other authoritarian partners may be damaged and that the U.S. has signaled renewed willingness to limit non-Western powers&#8217; footholds in the Western Hemisphere. The piece is written by Helen Raleigh, a senior contributor at the Federalist.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>When President Trump announced the U.S. military&rsquo;s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicol&aacute;s Maduro over the weekend, he framed it as a judicial operation tied to Maduro&rsquo;s U.S. narcotics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/reward-offer-increase-of-up-to-50-million-for-information-leading-to-arrest-and-or-conviction-of-nicolas-maduro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charges<\/a>. Yet, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >action carries profound geopolitical ramifications<\/a>, with China emerging as the second-biggest loser after Maduro himself.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>China&rsquo;s Deep-Rooted Investment in Venezuela<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>While Russia, Cuba, and Iran have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.19fortyfive.com\/2026\/01\/trumps-venezuela-raid-changes-the-map-cuba-china-and-russia-face-a-new-reality\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">supported<\/a> Venezuela&rsquo;s socialist regime, China&rsquo;s engagement has been the most extensive and strategic. For over two decades, Beijing has cultivated ties with Caracas, beginning under Hugo Ch&aacute;vez. Venezuela offers not just vast oil and mineral resources but a key foothold for expanding Chinese influence in the Americas.<\/p>\n<p>Venezuela has become a hub for China&rsquo;s <a href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2017\/06\/12\/chinas-project-century-aims-unseat-u-s-worlds-dominant-power\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Belt and Road Initiative<\/a> (Beijing&rsquo;s geopolitical expansion project disguised as an infrastructure program)&nbsp;in Latin America. Under this initiative, China and Venezuela have signed over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chosun.com\/english\/world-en\/2026\/01\/06\/XWZBJRB5CRFFPG26J4CVEQUHSY\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">600 bilateral agreements<\/a>, underscoring Beijing&rsquo;s determination to dominate the region.<\/p>\n<p>Venezuela&rsquo;s reliance on China has grown dramatically in the last two decades. Beijing has extended over <a href=\"https:\/\/theprint.in\/diplomacy\/whats-at-stake-for-china-in-venezuela-a-100-billion-in-loans-and-a-crumbling-economy\/2817924\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$100 billion<\/a> in loans and aid, secured by Venezuelan resources, making it Caracas&rsquo; largest creditor. The most revealing example of the two countries&rsquo; economic tie is that China buys more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/asia\/east-asia\/will-us-capture-of-maduro-affect-chinese-investment-in-venezuela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">80 percent<\/a> of Venezuela&rsquo;s oil exports, helping evade U.S. sanctions. Since 2016, Chinese state-owned enterprises have invested over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/chinas-oil-investments-venezuela-2026-01-05\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$2 billion<\/a> in the oil sector. Beyond energy, China ranks as Venezuela&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/r.search.yahoo.com\/_ylt=Awr.wFn2J1xpAQIAd5hXNyoA%3B_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzIEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny\/RV=2\/RE=1768856823\/RO=10\/RU=https:\/databoks.katadata.co.id\/en\/economics-macro\/statistics\/695b7de2d2637\/russia-and-china-main-arms-suppliers-for-venezuela\/RK=2\/RS=z1jFn124MzRJizUOdGGu5ftQ8tk-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">second-largest arms supplier<\/a> after Russia. In 2023, Maduro and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/asia\/east-asia\/will-us-capture-of-maduro-affect-chinese-investment-in-venezuela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">elevating<\/a> ties to an &ldquo;all-weather strategic partnership.&rdquo; Bilateral trade hit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.straitstimes.com\/asia\/east-asia\/will-us-capture-of-maduro-affect-chinese-investment-in-venezuela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$6.4 billion<\/a> in 2024, up more than 50 percent from 2023.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Shadowy Chinese Criminal Networks in Latin America<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Beijing&rsquo;s influence extends beyond official channels. In December 2025, former Chief of Operations of the Drug Enforcement Administration (<a href=\"https:\/\/r.search.yahoo.com\/_ylt=AwrJ.B4qNFxpbgIAixdXNyoA%3B_ylu=Y29sbwNiZjEEcG9zAzEEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny\/RV=2\/RE=1768859947\/RO=10\/RU=https:\/www.dea.gov\/RK=2\/RS=4czZ.ZlsXCsiMTK7pCKEEJmXGSU-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DEA<\/a>), Ray Donovan, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drugcaucus.senate.gov\/media-center\/files\/testimony-ray-donovan-12-09-25\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">testified<\/a> before U.S. Congress, warning the expansion of Chinese transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) in Latin America, alongside growing state and business presence.<\/p>\n<p>These Chinese TCOs fuel the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chinese-national-sentenced-for-aiding-drug-traffickers\/\" title=\"Chinese National Sentenced for Aiding Drug Traffickers\">global drug trade<\/a> by supplying synthetic precursors for methamphetamine and fentanyl to cartels, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.csis.org\/analysis\/are-chinese-ports-latin-america-preferred-organized-crime\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">using Chinese ports for transit<\/a>, and laundering illicit profits &mdash; estimated at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/22-00768-INCSR-2022-Vol-2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$154 billion<\/a> annually through China. A 2024 ProPublica <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/oklahoma-marijuana-china-diplomat-visits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> revealed the Chinese government&rsquo;s tacit support for these groups, which advance pro-China agendas, launder funds for elites, and suppress dissents overseas in exchange for Beijing&rsquo;s tolerance. This nexus elevates the drug trade to a U.S. national security threat.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Trump Administration Pushback<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Trump administration countered China&rsquo;s Latin American expansion with a December 2025 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/national-security\/trumps-new-national-security-strategy-takes-aim-at-europe-22f03581?mod=article_inline\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">national-security strategy<\/a>, aiming to enforce the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/event\/Monroe-Doctrine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Monroe Doctrine<\/a> and &ldquo;restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.&rdquo; Beijing swiftly<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/world\/americas\/china-signals-it-wont-give-an-inch-to-the-u-s-in-latin-america-ba03bd24?mod=wsj_furtherreading_pos_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> issued<\/a> its own policy paper, declaring it would not yield an inch in Latin America. In a show of commitment, Chinese leader Xi Jinping sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/chinese-diplomats-arrived-venezuela-talks-185529692.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">high-level delegation<\/a>, including his Special Envoy for Latin America, Qiu Xiaoqi, to meet with Nicol&aacute;s Maduro on Jan. 2, 2026.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, merely hours later, U.S. forces extracted Maduro and his wife from their compound, extraditing them to the U.S. The Chinese delegation, along with <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jenniferzeng97\/status\/2007462941533073529\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allegedly<\/a> Chinese military personnel, found themselves stranded in Caracas &mdash; a humiliating blow. Social media captured the fallout: a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bxieus\/status\/2007781435424550946\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">viral video<\/a> showed a CCP advisor reacting in disbelief, and Taiwanese outlets <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/denisewu\/status\/2007586509936046517\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highlighted<\/a> the failure of Chinese-supplied early warning radars during the raid. A well-known CCP Critic Jennifer Zeng <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jenniferzeng97\/status\/2007540184028504139\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shared on X.com<\/a> that Venezuela&rsquo;s &ldquo;most modern&rdquo; Chinese-built defense systems suffered &ldquo;catastrophic paralysis,&rdquo; exposing technical shortcomings.<\/p>\n<p>This should caution other regimes relying on cheap Chinese arms. The reality is that you get what you pay for.&nbsp;While China may produce weapons at low cost and speed, the United States undeniably maintains a technological edge.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Broader Implications<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The capture of Maduro and Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/nicolas-maduro-capture-venezuela-donald-trump-regime-change-fa998465?mod=opinion_lead_pos1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declaration<\/a> that the U.S. will temporarily oversee Venezuela signals that the U.S. has both capability and determination to thwart non-Western Hemisphere rivals, particularly China, from gaining military footholds or control of strategic assets in our backyard, as outlined in the administration&rsquo;s national security strategy. Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/nsykB#selection-771.0-771.305\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announcement<\/a> restricting sanctioned oil tankers &mdash; primarily affecting Chinese vessels &mdash; further targets Beijing&rsquo;s interests.<\/p>\n<p>After two decades and over $100 billion invested, China&rsquo;s bid to turn Venezuela into a Latin American vassal now faces a severe setback. Beijing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fmprc.gov.cn\/eng\/xw\/fyrbt\/fyrbt\/202601\/t20260103_11797170.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">condemned<\/a> the capture as &ldquo;hegemonic&rdquo; and demanded Maduro&rsquo;s release, but it hasn&rsquo;t come to Maduro&rsquo;s rescue, despite vows of &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/r.search.yahoo.com\/_ylt=Awr99Ue4I1xpFZUYJM9XNyoA%3B_ylu=Y29sbwNncTEEcG9zAzIEdnRpZAMEc2VjA3Ny\/RV=2\/RE=1768855737\/RO=10\/RU=https:\/www.news18.com\/world\/beijing-and-venezuela-united-maduro-met-chinese-envoy-hours-before-us-attack-ws-l-9808217.html\/RK=2\/RS=haD8F7WF74Cko02qu7h5gotBKRI-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unbreakable brotherhood<\/a>&rdquo; between the two countries. China&rsquo;s inaction speaks louder than its rhetoric, and will undoubtedly tarnish China&rsquo;s credibility with other authoritarian regimes globally, as they will realize that China cannot be counted on as a dependable ally.<\/p>\n<p>As events in Venezuela continue to unfold, challenges remain for the U.S. Nevertheless, the beginning of 2026 holds great promise, as the Trump administration has significantly countered Beijing&rsquo;s geopolitical ambitions in Latin America.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p>      Helen Raleigh, CFA, is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She&#8217;s a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.  Helen is the author of several books, including &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Confucius-Never-Said-Helen-Raleigh\/dp\/1499185278\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&amp;keywords=Helen+Raleigh+Confucius+Never+Said&amp;qid=1606079469&amp;sr=8-1\">Confucius Never Said<\/a>&#8221; and &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Backlash-How-Chinas-Aggression-Backfired\/dp\/1736008501\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1606006113&amp;sr=8-1\">Backlash: How Communist China&#8217;s Aggression Has Backfired<\/a>.&#8221; Her latest book is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Not-Outsiders-Americans-political-activism\/dp\/1736008552\">Not Outsiders: Asian Americans&rsquo; political activism from the 19th century to today<\/a>.&rdquo; Follow her on Twitter: @HRaleighspeaks.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>US seizes Maduro; China&#8217;s Venezuela influence hurt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":2530873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screen-Shot-2026-01-06-at-3.42.34-PM-1024x637.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4501,36612,3634],"class_list":["post-2530872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-china","tag-maduro","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screen-Shot-2026-01-06-at-3.42.34-PM-1024x637.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2530872"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2530880,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2530872\/revisions\/2530880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2530873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2530872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2530872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2530872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}