Ryan Hass on Why U.S. Intervention in Venezuela Won’t Impact China’s Plans for Taiwan

A woman shows a painting depicting ousted Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro and former President Hugo Chavez (1999-2013) during a demonstration by supporters in Caracas on January 4, 2026, a day after he was captured in a US strike. Nicolas Maduro's congressman son called on January 4, 2026, for Venezuelans to take to the streets following his father's ouster by US forces and transfer to a New York jail.

Ryan Hass, director of the John L. Thorton China Center at the Brookings Institution, is one of the most influential China analysts in Washington.

Shortly after the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, Hass wrote a preliminary analysis on X of how he expected China would respond, particularly in relation to Taiwan.

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by Eric Olander

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