"In your face, Emperor Xi!"
The idea of face in Chinese culture is sort of a joke to most in the West, so we often don't understand how important it is in China. We say someone "lost face" and it's kind of a joke.
That's not the way it works in China. "Face" — 面子 (miànzi) — means a person's reputation, dignity, prestige, and personal honor. It's not just a minor embarrassment, it is a core principle influencing interpersonal interactions — and by extension, the Chinese government's miànzi influences the Chinese people's view of that government. In fact, the writer Lu Xun 鲁迅 describes "face" as "the guiding principle of the Chinese mind."
So, something that I think is much more important in the recent arrest of Maduro and his wife is that literally hours before the US operation began, a high-level Chinese delegation arrived in Caracas, met with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, expressed strong support for Maduro, and hinted at an intention to help Venezuela avoid the US blockade.
Flashback to two weeks ago when the Chinese made it known publicly that they were wargaming scenarios against the US in Cuba, the Gulf of America, and the Caribbean. pic.twitter.com/XghQiKZZkZ
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) January 3, 2026
JUST IN: 🇨🇳🇻🇪 Chinese officials arrive in Venezuela for talks with President Nicolás Maduro. pic.twitter.com/abviFRZV3f
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) January 3, 2026
Of course, the Russians had already given Venezuela air defenses and fighter aircraft, so China hadn't been quite so overt. But the "high level delegation" was identified as Qiu Xiaoqi (邱小琪), Xi Jinping's (习近平) Special Envoy and China's Special Representative for Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, leading the delegation, and Lan Hu (蓝虎), China's Ambassador to Venezuela.
Russia starts losing money when oil drops in trading to below $45 a barrel, Wall Street research shows. It won’t be able to finance its war in Ukraine if the Trump administration starts reopening Venezuela oil spigots to 3 million barrels a day, which was what it was doing before…
— Elizabeth MacDonald (@LizMacDonaldFOX) January 3, 2026
Now, these aren't directly under Xi, but they're pretty close, and Qiu in particular is often the head of major negotiating teams. By sending Qiu to engage directly with Maduro, China was claiming a place as a key ally and protector of Maduro.
Although Confucian tradition isn't quite as strong in the People's Republic as it was a century ago, it's still powerful. By having Maduro so blatantly taken from under their noses, China and Xi have failed to protect a junior in their relationship. That's a big public failure, and a very public geopolitical snub. Failing to protect a junior means losimg moral authority (Liǎn 脸) and relational capital (guanxi 关系).
Can you picture that Chinese delegation meeting with Maduro in Caracas, when they get back to Beijing?
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) January 3, 2026
“Well, boss, the good news is the meeting with Maduro went great. The bad news is…” pic.twitter.com/wn6egYm1n1
Which means if Qiu "loses face," then Xi "loses face."
Beyond "face" — and don't discount the importance of "face" — China has been shoring up Venezuela's economy, buying as much as 85% of Venezuela's output. Now, that's only about 5% of China's total imports, but it will still impact oil prices (which in turn hits Russia hard, but that's a topic for another time.)
So let's look at some of the reaction.
pic.twitter.com/VskmcGwTni
— Inconvenient Truths — Jennifer Zeng Reports (@jenniferzeng97) January 3, 2026
According to former Chinese journalist Zhao Lanjian @uyunistar, during U.S. military operations against Venezuela, Chinese military personnel were trapped.
Zhao Lanjian’s sources inside the Chinese intelligence agency has confirmed that because the…
So, the impact on China, on the Chinese Communist Party, and on Xi Jinping personally would be hard to overstate. Certainly people talking about it online haven't been kind. Some examples:
对中国是奇耻大辱 "This is a monstrous shame and huge humiliation for China";
中国丢尽了面子 "China completely lost all face";
and my favorite:
中国被打脸打得啪啪响 "China got slapped in the face so hard it went slap-slap."
Beyond the direct implications for Venezuela, and the implications for Russia, it's major humiliation for China. I wouldn't be surprised if it has repercussions all through China, and might even lead to the downfall of Xi.
