President Donald Trump’s stunning moves against Venezuela on January 3 are sparking concerns that China may soon move against Taiwan.
Trump on December 16 imposed a “total and complete blockade” on sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, and some expressed their belief that his actions could make it easier for China to impose similar measures on Taiwan, which China claims as its own.
“If the U.S. blockades to change political outcomes in Venezuela, China can justify coercive measures against Taiwan on so-called security grounds,” Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Reuters. “The legal contexts differ, but the propaganda opening is real.”
