"If You Envy, You Lose"... China's True Feelings Toward U.S. Ousting of Maduro and Control of Venezuela

SCMP Reports on China's Reaction to Venezuela Operation
"China Clearly Envious of U.S. Special Operations Capabilities"
"No Unified Special Operations Command or Real Combat Experience in China"

Foreign media have reported that China is displaying a complex reaction to the United States' sudden airstrike on Venezuela and the extradition of President Nicolas Maduro. According to Yonhap News Agency, on the 12th, the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong reported, "While China criticizes the United States for violating international law, it is also evidently envious of the U.S. special operations capabilities demonstrated in Venezuela."

Reports have emerged that China is evidently envious of the United States' special operations capabilities in Venezuela. A photo showing People's Liberation Army soldiers marching ahead of the Chinese Victory Day parade to help readers understand the article. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Previously, the United States reportedly used informants to track President Maduro's movements, disrupted command and control (C2) systems and integrated air defense systems (IADS) with early warning measures, struck air defense networks, and deployed the Army's elite Delta Force via 30-meter low-altitude flight, bringing the entire operation to a close within three hours of its commencement.

In response, China has not concealed its envy and appears to have begun inspecting its own special forces. According to the South China Morning Post, the People's Liberation Army has, for several years, been conducting training at a military base in Zhurihe, Inner Mongolia, using life-size mock-ups of the Taiwanese presidential office and legislative building to practice strikes on key government buildings and the abduction of high-profile individuals. The South China Morning Post pointed out, "China has long sought such capabilities, but there are still limitations."

Joshua Arostegui, Director of the China Landpower Studies Center at the U.S. Army War College, stated, "This U.S. operation was the culmination of years of developing multi-domain operations, decades of experience in global conflicts, and the integration of intelligence from various sources," adding, "There is a significant gap between the United States and China."

He added, "The People's Liberation Army possesses fifth-generation stealth fighters, advanced naval systems, cyber and electronic warfare platforms, state-of-the-art helicopters, and precision-guided munitions, but its ability to integrate and control these weapons and systems across multiple domains is inferior to that of the U.S. military."

Nicolas Maduro, President of Venezuela, is seen walking after getting off a helicopter on his way to the federal courthouse in Manhattan, New York, USA, on the 5th (local time). Photo by AP Yonhap News.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense's '2024 China Military Power Report,' China operates special operations units under its 13 army group armies, as well as within the navy, air force, rocket force, and armed police. However, the report notes that there is no unified special operations command to oversee all special operations units, making "integrated operations of special forces under the five theater commands impossible." The report also assessed that, although the Chinese military has participated in missions such as search and rescue after the Nepal earthquake, evacuations during the Yemen war, anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, and clashes with Indian forces, it still lacks real combat experience.

Dennis Wilder, former CIA China analyst and a professor at Georgetown University, pointed out, "The Chinese military lacks units dedicated to strategic-level missions," and "does not have special forces comparable to the U.S. Delta Force." Ni Lexiong, a military expert and professor of political science at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said, "The U.S. military's electronic warfare capabilities, stealth technology, and battlefield experience were fully demonstrated in the recent Venezuela operation," and emphasized that "the Chinese military needs improvement in these areas."