Shi Yinhong, a professor at Renmin University in Beijing, told Reuters that any move against Taiwan depends on China’s still-developing capabilities, not on what happened in Venezuela. Asia Society fellow Neil Thomas said China views Taiwan as an internal matter and was unlikely to cite Venezuela as a precedent for cross-strait strikes, adding Beijing would likely prefer to contrast itself with Washington by presenting a narrative of peace and moral leadership.
In Taiwan, ruling-party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu, who sits on parliament’s foreign affairs and defence committee, dismissed suggestions China might follow the US example, arguing Beijing lacks a workable means to seize the island, Reuters reported.
Some observers said the episode could still raise risks for Taiwan by strengthening arguments Beijing may use in future, and could increase pressure on Taipei to seek stronger support from the Trump administration.
A Beijing-based military analyst, Song Zhongping, said the US operation appeared aimed at removing Venezuela’s leadership and securing control over its strategic oil resources, rather than serving as an anti-narcotics crackdown as Washington has claimed. He said the mission was militarily effective—seizing Maduro within hours—despite what he described as clear violations of international law, and warned it could alter global oil pricing power. Song added that a US-backed shift towards a right-leaning government in Caracas could reduce cooperation with China and threaten Beijing’s existing economic interests and projects in Venezuela.