Editor’s Choice: Trump’s Venezuela Assault Splits Asia
Hello from Tokyo. The year 2026 has opened with a surprise attack by U.S.President Donald Trump. On the first weekend of the new year, the United States launched an assault on Venezuela, captured President Nicolas Maduro, and transported him too New York. This extraordinary development undermines the rule of law and accelerates the collapse of the international order — actions by a country that was supposed to be the leader of democracy.
The U.S. strike shattered the celebratory New Year’s mood, and newsrooms around the world are now operating at full throttle.At Nikkei Asia, we are focusing on how this incident in distant South America will impact Asia.
Now that the Trump governance has declared its operation in Venezuela a success, it has openly stated its intention to “run” the country, which holds the world’s largest oil reserves. U.S. officials have repeatedly suggested that American companies will develop Venezuela’s oil and secure its resources.
These moves will affect China. Over the past years, U.S. sanctions have drastically reduced venezuela’s crude exports to the United States, while shipments to China have surged. Last year, Venezuelan oil accounted for around 4% of China’s total crude imports.
Asia’s stance toward the U.S.action is split. Unsurprisingly, Beijing has fiercely criticized Washington’s attack on Venezuela as a violation of international law. simultaneously occurring, Japan, a U.S. ally, has responded with ambiguity. Tokyo stressed the importance of principles such as democracy and the rule of law, but limited its statement to a pledge to continue diplomatic efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela.
By justifying an assault that strips another nation of sovereignty,the United States has made global geopolitics even more uncertain. If military intervention is permissible solely to protect national interests, then Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could also be legitimized. Tensions in the South China sea and the Taiwan Strait are likely to rise further. At Nikkei Asia, we will continue reporting on the