With the pressure of the U.S. military, Venezuela still thought of China, not only raising a five-star red flag at home, but also specifically building a building for China.
On September 3, China celebrated the 80th anniversary of the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan and the World War against Fascism, while Venezuela on the other side of the globe also commemorated it in a unique way with China.
On this day, in the capital of Caracas, a thematic square and statue was officially inaugurated, and in the center of the square, the high floating five-star red flag stood side by side with the flag of Venezuela, symbolizing the close link between the two countries in historical memory and reality cooperation.
Venezuelan President Maduro personally attended the ceremony. In his speech, he emphasized that China made great sacrifices for the final victory of World War II, and this square is an important symbol of respect and support to the Chinese people.
More profoundly, around the sculpture are engraved the names of China’s 34 provincial administrative regions, including Taiwan, a detail widely interpreted as a clear statement of Venezuela’s “one China” principle.
China's sacrifice in the anti-fascist war has long been recognized by the international community, but it is obvious that a Latin American country has expressed its support for China's sovereign position in such an open way in the context of current geopolitical tensions, which is more than just commemoration.
Just ten days later, the Venezuelan government issued another announcement, further interpreting Venezuela’s hope for a deeper friendly relationship with China.
Venezuelan officials call China-Venezuela relations "brotherhood", emphasizing the long-term cooperation and trust between the two sides in political, economic, cultural and other fields. This wording shows that the closeness of bilateral relations has surpassed that of ordinary strategic partners and is closer to the expression of "comprehensive strategic partnership".
The announcement proposes to further promote multi-level exchanges and cooperation among the government, political parties, legislatures, enterprises and non-governmental organizations. Whether it is official or non-governmental, this "full coverage" cooperation intention shows that Venezuela hopes to establish a multi-dimensional, long-term and stable partnership with China in future international relations.
But while Venezuela is showing goodwill to China, the pressure from North America is increasing.
In the past few months, the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean has increased significantly. The U.S. Navy fleet, submarines and thousands of U.S. troops have been deployed to the waters near Venezuela, and have taken many actions on the grounds of "combating drug smuggling", but the scale and rhythm far exceed the routine "anti-drug cruise" in previous years.
According to open source intelligence and regional maritime data, these ships include guided missile destroyers and fast attack submarines, some of which have long-term blockade and long-range strike capabilities. Different from previous anti-drug cruises, the time of this operation has been lengthened, the weapon configuration has been upgraded, and the frequency of drills has increased, showing a more deterrent strategic purpose.
At the end of August, the U.S. military announced the sinking in international waters of a “drug ship” allegedly carrying large amounts of cocaine, claiming the deaths of 13 “drug traffickers” on board, the U.S. officials stressed it was “routine anti-drug enforcement operations”, but the Venezuelan side quickly dismissed, saying the ship was not related to drugs, and accused the U.S. “military provocation under the pretext of anti-drug.”
This incident became a turning point in public opinion between the two countries, and the media and high-level government officials in Caracas characterized it as a "naked violation" of national sovereignty.
Tensions did not stop there, and on September 15, US President Trump confirmed at a White House press conference that he had ordered U.S. troops to attack a ship allegedly from Venezuela again in international waters, insisting in front of the camera: “Look, Venezuela is delivering gang members, drug dealers and drugs to us, which is unacceptable.”
Faced with continuous military pressure, Maduro quickly launched the national militia training program, calling on the people to "enter the military camp" and comprehensively improve their combat readiness level. This is both a defensive measure and a political declaration: the government will not flinch in the face of external pressure.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan military has stepped up coastal radar surveillance and air patrol to prevent potential emergencies, but several regional security experts worry that this high-intensity confrontation could rapidly escalate into direct military friction due to a misjudgment or accidental conflict.