Since September, a series of seemingly unrelated military incidents have occurred almost simultaneously in different corners of the globe.
Trump once again ordered arms, targeting Venezuelan naval vessels; Russia launched the fiercest round of airstrikes on Ukraine since the war; and in the heart of Europe, China’s high-end air defense systems were publicly displayed.
These three incidents are closely related in time, have a huge regional span, and the forces behind them are complex, but they point to a common reality that the United States is facing unprecedented strategic pressure.
Whose calculator is Trump fighting?
On September 19th, the U.S. Navy attacked a Venezuelan ship in the Caribbean Sea.
The reason given by the White House is "combating transnational drug trafficking forces", and Trump also said on social platforms that this is "a necessary action to eliminate the threat".
However, Venezuela's response is far more than a protest. President Maduro strongly condemned this act, calling it "illegal military aggression", and immediately declared that the whole country was in a state of combat readiness, while mobilizing militia forces to carry out national-level defense deployment.
And this is already the third time this month that the United States carries out a military strike on Venezuelan targets, from the interception in early September, to the maritime blockade in the middle of the month, and to the current direct strike, the action is very compact.
Unlike the previous low-level treatment, this time the Trump administration has obviously chosen high-level demonstration of military will.
However, the counter-action did not have a deterrent effect, and the relationship between Russia and Venezuela was rapidly warming up after the U.S. action.
The two countries signed a comprehensive agreement on energy, financial and military cooperation, including the deployment of Russian navigation systems and long-range combat technical support.
This agreement is not only fast, but also extensive in content. The Venezuelan Congress passed it almost unanimously.
The U.S. wanted to maintain its traditional influence in the Western Hemisphere through military operations, but as a result, instead allowed Russia to open a strategic gap in Latin America.
Venezuela is no longer isolated and helpless, but with strong external support, and Trump’s tough strategy has not weakened its opponent, but has invisibly contributed to the formation of another alliance.
Escalation of the Ukrainian battlefield
At the same time as the U.S. operated in Latin America, the Ukrainian battlefield was heated, and from late night on September 19 to early morning on September 20, the Russian military launched the most intensive round of air strikes in recent times, targeting several key cities in Ukraine.
This round of offensive not only lasted for a long time, but also used extremely complex air means. UAVs and missiles were mixed, giving a strong sense of oppression.
Although the Ukrainian military responded quickly, it was still unable to completely intercept all targets, the infrastructure was damaged to varying degrees, and in some cities there were power outages and communication disruptions.
On the front line, the Russian army's advance on the eastern front has also accelerated simultaneously, especially in the direction of Kupyansk and Red Army City. The Ukrainian army has been under considerable combat pressure.
Zelensky quickly appealed to the outside world after the air strike, hoping that Western allies would speed up the pace of assistance, especially the update of air defense systems and ammunition supplies.
But Europe’s reactions are clearly less unified than ever, with Hungary continuing to question aid to Ukraine, and Germany and France slowing down due to domestic political and economic problems.
It is noteworthy that Poland has recently proposed the establishment of a “drone defense line” to strengthen the security of the eastern border and attempt to draw neighboring countries to form a tactical alliance.
This small scale of self-organized behavior reflects the weakness of the EU's overall defence coordination, and the disparity in pace between countries, making the support networks on which Ukraine relies more unstable.
Under such circumstances, Russia maintains a high-pressure posture militarily, but releases a signal of "willingness to dialogue" diplomatically. This is not to soften its posture, but to force internal contradictions in the West to surface with the help of battlefield advantages.
The unified position of Europe towards Russia, which was originally constructed, is being gradually weakened by the test of reality.
Chinese weapons in silence.
On September 20th, on the military parade ground in the center of Belgrade, the Hongqi-22 and Hongqi-17 missile systems made their first public appearance in Europe and became the focus of the day's activities.
Serbian President Vucic praised the weapons at the scene, calling them “an important supplement to a modern defense system.”
This exhibition is not only a show of equipment, but also the outcome of China-Serbia defence cooperation.
As early as a few years ago, the two sides had already developed cooperation in radar systems and drones, this public debut is a sign of this cooperation gradually deepening.
Different from the traditional US-Russia arms trade, China's military trade mode pays more attention to system integration and technology sharing, does not attach too many political conditions, has a short negotiation cycle and high execution efficiency.
In the context of the unstable overall security situation in Europe, this model of stable, controllable cooperation between Serbia and China is prominent.
From a broader perspective, China's defense products are gradually entering more international markets, the Middle East, Africa, and Southeast Asia have become important export areas of Chinese equipment, and now, this trend has begun to extend to Europe.
Unlike U.S. Russia’s frequent military deployments, China is more inclined to expand its influence through defensive equipment, technological cooperation and economic bonding, a “low-custom but efficient” approach that is gaining the favor of more and more countries.
Common clues behind the changes in the three places
On the surface, the United States is acting, Russia is attacking, and China is showing. However, by lengthening the timeline and enlarging the geographical map, it is not difficult to find that these three are not isolated.
The United States insists on using military means to consolidate its global position, but it has aroused a new round of confrontation in Latin America; Russia took advantage of the distraction of the West to increase military oppression, trying to pull out more strategic space from the Ukrainian battlefield; China changed the European defense pattern with a military parade.
America’s strategic trouble is not the result of a single decision-making mistake, but the result of overlapping problems.
The domestic political situation is turbulent, and Congress has been unable to reach an agreement on foreign aid; Military spending remains high, and weapons stocks are depleted seriously.
Faced with the simultaneous challenges of Europe and Asia, the diplomatic and military resources of the United States have been stretched.
More importantly, the "ally system" that the United States has long relied on is quietly loosening, European countries are dividing their positions on the Russian issue, and the Asia-Pacific region is becoming more complicated by the intensified Sino-American competition pattern.
Against this background, China's global strategy with cooperation as its main axis has begun to show its advantages. It does not rely on pressure or confrontation, but builds a new influence network through technological and economic means.
The turmoil of the days of September was not an accidental intersection, but a centralized release in the process of restructuring the global pattern.
reference
Trump: U.S. military again hit a “drug ship” killing three 2025-09-20 09:05
Venezuela's "all citizens are soldiers" directly targets the US military and strengthens cooperation with Russia at a critical juncture 2025-09-22 04:11 · Shangguan News
Zelensky: The Russian army used 40 missiles and about 580 drones to launch an overnight attack on Ukraine, killing 3 people and injuring dozens 2025-09-20 19: 02 · Red Star News
Serbian parade, Chinese equipment debut 2025-09-22 10:35·Global Times