The kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro by U.S. Army Delta Drive operators on January 3 fuelled appreciable issues in Taipei, the capital of the self-proclaimed Republic of China authorities, that it may set a precedent for related operations by the Chinese language mainland to reunify Taiwan Island and finish the lengthy frozen Chinese language civil conflict. The problem of the necessity to condemn U.S. actions was shortly raised by legislators in Taipei, with Legislator Lai Shih-pao asking whether or not, given the US’ “large-scale assault” on Venezuela and abduction of the president, the Folks’s Republic of China on the mainland may undertake an identical method in direction of the Republic of China based mostly on Taiwan Island.Deputy Minister of Nationwide Defence Hsu Szu-chien replied that the Republic of China wanted to reply by strengthening its capabilities to cope with such surprising conditions, and that the Ministry of Nationwide Defence had made related preparations.
Legislator Lai requested in regards to the Republic of China authorities’s stance on the U.S. assault on its neighbour, to which Minister Hsu replied: “This isn’t instantly associated to our nationwide pursuits.” Lai responded: “When Russia attacked Ukraine, we spoke out. We supported Ukraine and condemned the aggression.Is not this additionally an act of aggression?Should not you condemn the U.S.’ act of aggression?They fabricated a cost for their very own oil pursuits; how can they go to a different nation and arrest folks?” Minister Hsu responded: “For us, if there are related points, we have to strengthen our personal preparations to cope with surprising conditions.” The change highlighted how Taipei is compelled to stroll a fragile line between permitting the US to set a global precedent beneath which Taiwan Island might be instantly focused, and scary the US on which Taipei depends closely for its safety.
The Republic of China Ministry of Nationwide Defence in December 2025 redefined the that means of a “first strike” within the Taiwan Strait, highlighting in a written report back to the legislature that along with utilizing joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, if the Chinese language mainland’s Folks’s Liberation Army had been to launcha sudden assault, all items will implement “distributed management” with out ready for orders, finishing up fight missions beneath a “de-centralised” operational steerage. In March 2024, then-Minister of Nationwide Defence Chiu Kuo-cheng observedthat whereas the normal definition of the “first strike” by the Folks’s Liberation Army referred to opening fireplace, now any crossing of the boundaries between the 2 rival forces by Folks’s Liberation Army plane could be thought of first strike and be met with retaliation. This highlighted the numerous issues relating to the opportunity of shock assaults or different covert actions. The place the U.S. assault on Venezuela is broadly thought of unlawful, Taiwan Island is recognised by the United Nations and all UN member states as part of China over which Beijing has full authority, making operations to take away self-proclaimed Republic of China forces fully authorized.
