China threatens to deal ‘head-on blow’ to Taiwan amid fears Trump’s Venezuela raid will embolden Beijing

Beijing insists its claims on Taiwan are nothing like Donald Trump’s move to seize power and oil in Caracas, even as experts note the two superpowers use remarkably similar language

China has threatened to deliver a “head-on blow” against Taiwan after Donald Trump’s own power grab in Venezuela.

Analysts have raised concerns that the US operation to capture Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro and take over its oil industry could embolden Beijing, which has long claimed Taiwan to be a breakaway province that should be “reunited” with the mainland. Taiwan has its own democratically-elected government and says its people should decide their future.

The Chinese government has strongly criticised Trump’s actions in Venezuela, while formally rejecting comparisons with its own claims on Taiwan.

The US breached international law by using force against a sovereign state, said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a regular briefing on Wednesday.

“We firmly oppose this,” Mr Chen said, according to the China Daily.

Military equipment of the ground forces takes part in long-range live-fire drills targeting waters south of Taiwan, from an undisclosed location in this screenshot from a video released by the Eastern Theatre Command of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) on 30 December 2025 (Reuters)

Commentators have expressed alarm at the events unfolding in Venezuela, saying it will harden Beijing’s view on its options in Taiwan, if not being used outright to justify China’s own military action.

Tony Zhao, a senior fellow at Carnegie China, noted that “Washington’s framing of the Venezuela operation as law enforcement closely mirrors China’s own legal characterisation of its plans against Taiwan”.

Emily Thornberry, chair of the UK’s foreign affairs committee, told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour that the US strike on Venezuela was “not a legal action” and could embolden China and Russia.

She said the attack was justified by Trump’s view that the Americas represent his “sphere of influence”. “President Putin will presumably say, well, Ukraine is in my sphere of influence – what are you complaining about? And Xi may well say that about Taiwan. It sets a terrible precedent and [is] really worrying.”

Beijing has formally moved to dismiss the comparison.

Mr Chen said Taiwan’s status was fundamentally different, describing it as “China’s Taiwan” and saying its future was an “internal affair” for the Chinese people.

At the same time, he issued a direct warning to pro-independence groups on the island, saying: “If ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces dare to take reckless actions and cross the red line, we will take resolute measures and deliver a head-on blow.”

China regards Taiwan as its territory, despite the island having its own government, military and democratic system since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Most Western countries, including the UK, recognise Beijing diplomatically but oppose any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by force.

Tensions across the Taiwan Strait have intensified in recent years as China has increased military pressure on the island and the US has strengthened its political and military support for Taipei.

China’s Xi Jinping has repeatedly said he is willing to “reunite” the island with the mainland by force, if necessary, while US intelligence reports indicate the Chinese military will be ready to launch an invasion by 2027 – now less than a year away.