Following the U.S. operation in Venezuela, China is exercising strategic patience, but U.S. pressure on Caracas could spur Chinese retaliation that threatens the U.S.-China trade deal and temporarily cool China's engagement in Latin America; however, the U.S. operation is unlikely to catalyze Chinese aggression against Taiwan. In the days since the Jan. 3 U.S. operation to remove Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, there has been a deluge of media coverage speculating about its impacts on China, the largest purchaser of Venezuelan oil. Though U.S. President Donald Trump pledged on Jan. 3 that nations like China and Russia would still "get their oil," multiple media outlets have reported that Trump has demanded that acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez sever economic ties with China and prioritize U.S. access to Venezuela's oil industry. China strongly condemned the U.S. operation and called for Washington to immediately release Maduro and resolve issues with Caracas through dialogue,...
