Strike force: What China will learn from Venezuela

委内瑞拉对东大的启示

Drum Tower

2026-01-14

30 分钟
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单集简介 ...

China's leaders were swift to denounce America's dramatic night-time extraction of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro. But the country's nationalist commentators are asking if the US assault could offer lessons for a future attack on Taiwan. Hosts: Jeremy Page, our chief China correspondent and Sarah Wu, The Economist's China correspondent Guest: Drew Thompson, former Pentagon official and senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Transcripts of our podcasts are available via economist.com/podcasts. Listen to what matters most, from global politics and business to science and technology—subscribe to Economist Podcasts+.  For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our FAQs page or watch our video explaining how to link your account.
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单集文稿 ...

  • The Economist.

  • When news broke of America's dramatic nighttime extraction of Nicolas Maduro from Venezuela,

  • the Chinese government was quick to denounce the raid as a violation of international law.

  • Chinese state media, meanwhile, launched a barrage of content to amplify that message, even harnessing the power of AI.

  • CCTV shared this video of a cartoon bald eagle in aviator sunglasses on its social media feed.

  • But while many Chinese people joined in mocking what they saw as American hypocrisy,

  • some of the more nationalistic commentators were taking a different approach.

  • Asking if Maduro's capture could provide lessons for a future attack on Taiwan.

  • And similar questions are being raised here in Taipei and across the democratic world.

  • I'm Sarah Wu, the Economist's China correspondent based in Beijing.

  • And I'm Jeremy Page, the Economist's Chief China Correspondent based in Taipei.

  • And this week we're asking, what does Maduro's capture mean for China and for Taiwan?

  • This is Drum Tower.

  • From The Economist.

  • So Sarah, great to see you.

  • Happy New Year.

  • Happy New Year.

  • This is our first podcast together of 2026.

  • Lots has happened since we were last doing this together.

  • I've moved into my new place, started to get settled in Taiwan.