The US operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro serves as a reminder for China to bolster its air defences and counter-intelligence protections, observers say. Analysts in China described Venezuela’s air defences – which rely largely on Russian technology – as “full of flaws and slow to react” amid the modern surveillance, cyber, and electronic warfare displayed by US forces in Saturday’s operation in Caracas. The operation could serve as a further case study for China, which has been a long-time observer of US military operations, particularly since the 1991 Gulf war. However, some Chinese analysts argued that the US targeted a much weaker adversary, making the operation less of a direct warning for major powers.

Full report: Lessons for Beijing include the need to upgrade hardware, protect state secrets and prevent infiltration, experts say.