Protesters took to the streets of the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Wednesday, urging the United States to release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.
The U.S. launched a military strike on Venezuela on Jan. 3, forcibly taking the South American country's president and his wife and placing them in custody in New York, an action that has drawn worldwide condemnation and concern.
"We insist on taking to the streets. All social movements and all political forces are defending the homeland. We will continue protesting and demand that the U.S. empire return our commander, our president," said protester Roni Campero.
"Everyone here voted for Maduro. We want him to return home safely," said protester Esperanza Olavarria.
The demonstrators said they believe U.S. efforts to destabilize the country will fail.
"The United States wants a civil war to happen here, but it hasn't succeeded. We are still standing firm and will continue fighting to the end," said protester Maria Hinojosa.
Venezuelans rally in Caracas, demand US release President Maduro
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities are just pursuing self-consolation in its attempt to seek secession by relying on the external forces, said Jiang Bin, a spokesman for China's Ministry of National Defense, at a press briefing in Beijing on Thursday.
Jiang made the remarks when responding to a media inquiry on an unclassified version of the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) released by the Pentagon on Jan 23, placing defense of the U.S. homeland and the U.S. interests across the Western Hemisphere above all other military priorities.
Some analysts in Taiwan have noticed that the newly released U.S. NDS did not mention the island.
"The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair that brooks no external interference. China will never waver in its resolve to safeguard national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. We've said it before that the DPP authorities are only pursuing self-consolation in its attempt to seek secession by relying on external forces. If they are willing to be a pawn, they are doomed to be abandoned," said Jiang.
Defense ministry spokesman warns Taiwan secessionists of fate of 'abandoned pawn'
