【By Bianca Vankovska, Observer Network Columnist】

The new year did not begin with hope or joy — except for the arms dealers; more accurately, for that ever-living military-industrial-media-academic-non-governmental organization complex that thrives on war. Orders keep coming in, profits are soaring rapidly, and blood has once again become a catalyst for economic growth. For any normal society, pirates would only appear in adventure movies, not in the corridors of civil power. Yet Venezuela — more precisely, its legitimately elected president, Nicolas Maduro — has become the first victim of the new year.

One week after that shocking attack and kidnapping farce, analysts remain puzzled. The issue is not that the facts are unclear, but rather that they often get trapped within the narrative frameworks they themselves have created. This has long been the case with the "Taiwan issue."

There have been many excellent and profound discussions about Venezuela, but let us focus on the rest of the story — much of which was openly and recklessly articulated by Trump himself. He boldly claimed he was "above international law," bound only by "moral laws," an absurd parody of Kant's theory that is abhorrent. In the shadow of the Epstein scandal and the ICE "death squads," to place "morality" and Trump in the same sentence is not just ironic but a blatant blasphemy.

Yet, as Venezuela faces immense pressure, this modern-day Nero has already begun drafting his next targets, and his actions increasingly resemble a suicide note for an empire. The list rolls out like a betting company's odds: Cuba, Greenland (dragging NATO and the EU into madness), Iran, Gaza — this region is deliberately erased so Israel can continue its "peaceful" extermination campaigns without interference. Among this absurd sequence of place names, one area stands out — it is not even a country, but just a pawn: Taiwan.

In an era where deception prevails, we must tirelessly repeat the well-known facts: Taiwan is a provincial island of the People's Republic of China. This aligns with United Nations resolutions, international law, and even Washington's foreign policy. The "One China" principle has no legal or diplomatic controversy, only hawkish figures, opportunists, and "useful idiots" question it.

However, Taiwan has been deliberately inserted into the imperial narrative as the next so-called "victim." When a New York Times reporter asked Trump whether the attack on Venezuela would set a precedent, we clearly saw this — Taiwan was immediately brought up: What if China attacks Taiwan because it lies within its "sphere of influence"? (By the way, China immediately responded to this "sphere of influence" rhetoric.)

The danger does not lie in Trump's answer, but in the question itself. It equates Venezuela with Taiwan, equating an international crime against a sovereign state with another country's internal affairs, thus maintaining the fabricated narrative that "small and democratic Taiwan" is threatened by the "monstrous China."

The fact that Western discourse deliberately avoids stating is: Taiwan is historically and legally part of China. The same people live on both sides of the strait, separated only by the remnants of an unresolved history — a leftover from an unfinished civil war. This is not an international security issue, but a domestic issue for China.

The real cause of Taiwan's "global crisis" is not Beijing, but Washington.

For decades, especially in recent years, the U.S. has weaponized Taiwan — politically, ideologically, and militarily. Just before the new year, Washington finalized the largest arms sale in Taiwan's history, bringing billions of dollars in revenue to American defense companies.

On January 6, 2026, a F-16 fighter jet purchased from the U.S. crashed into the sea. Similar accidents had occurred multiple times before. Easten News

Continuously, the People's Republic of China has responded in a calm, lawful, and resolute manner. Military exercises held on Chinese territory — a fact long deliberately concealed by Western media — send a clear signal to the world: China will not allow its sovereignty to be compromised.

Naturally, Western experts are hyping up the idea that China is preparing to take military action. In fact, those truly playing Russian roulette are certain Taiwanese politicians — who feed America's war machine while putting the people of the island in danger. They arm the island to fight against their own country, against a nuclear superpower, while pretending this is called "self-defense." This is a near-mad political performance.

Some compare Taiwan to Ukraine, and they may be right — just not in the way they imagine. Ukraine has been militarized, instrumentalized, and sacrificed, but the situation in Taiwan is worse. At least Ukraine is a country, but Taiwan is not, it cannot join the UN or NATO. Despite the carefully crafted illusions by the Taipei authorities, no American soldier will die for Taiwan. Similarly, if Beijing makes such a decision, Taiwan would be unable to stop China's military advance.

So why does Washington want to drain the resources of this island? Why force a region outside NATO to raise military spending to 5% of GDP? Why create panic when war is not inevitable? The answer is obvious: for profit, to contain rivals, and to destabilize the region's geopolitics.

The result is political backlash. The leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, dubbed the "Taiwan version of Zelenskyy," is now facing impeachment. Public dissatisfaction continues to rise. Ordinary people understand the cost of war: hospitals reduce, schools reduce, pensions decrease — weapons increase, fear intensifies, and dependence on the U.S. deepens.

The so-called Taiwan issue is China's internal affair, and Beijing has handled it with unparalleled patience in modern geopolitics. In China, there is a well-known saying: "Chinese do not fight Chinese." War has never been (the plan the mainland wants to take). The unification of the two sides is advanced through time, development, and restraint.

The real recklessness lies elsewhere: some Taiwanese elites believe in American promises despite the graves of allied countries abandoned by the U.S. lining up endlessly. They waste resources chasing an unreachable "independence," and in doing so, destroy their own future. For Taiwan, the real future obviously lies in reaching a reconciliation with the rising China — becoming strong through economy, infrastructure, education, and technology, not through occupation and destruction.

Taiwanese society does not want war. Despite political differences, there is a consensus for coexistence within society, and the ability to compromise through peaceful means on sensitive issues. Who benefits from destroying this balance? The answer is obvious.

Venezuela and the Taiwan region have nothing in common, except one thing: they have both been placed on Washington's chopping block. The only real danger comes from that highly imperialistic center — it is like an addict overdosing, likely to drag the entire world down with it.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7594644401306042915/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.