What Does Xi Think About the Maduro Raid?

Excerpt

Your editorial “The ‘International Law’ Illusion” (Jan. 6) hints at some of the confusion about what the U.S. capture of Nicolás Maduro means for China. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, says we ought to think about what Beijing “just learned.” A few sober answers:

The U.S. operation exposed the gap between China’s great-power rhetoric and its real reach in Latin America. That it occurred hours after Mr. Maduro hosted a Chinese delegation in Caracas underscores how little protection Beijing can offer partners once Washington decides to act. China has protested diplomatically and postured in multilateral forums—but as with the Trump administration’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last summer, the episode highlights China’s limited ability to project power far from home.

Craig Singleton is senior director of the China Program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank.