China's strategy is probably more like focusing their energy on more immediate threats and choosing their battles wisely. But that basically opens up for US intervention salami slicing. I'm not sure when China will become less passive but eventually she will have to be more active. Although I am not sure if being active with Venuzuala is worth it from their point of view.
The only country that did go toe to toe with the US geopolitically is probably the USSR back in the 70s and 80s but they didn't focus enough on their own economy.
— The Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela issued, on January 3, 2026, an official statement declaring that the country was targeted by U.S. military attacks against civilian and military installations located in the states of Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira, and called on all Latin American governments to rise against the U.S.: “Independence or nothing. Fatherland, socialism or death. We will prevail!”
