The swift U.S. removal of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro sparked predictions that Beijing could attempt something similar against the leadership of Taiwan, though leading China watchers cast doubt on such a scenario.

President Donald Trump’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro sparked widespread discussion on Chinese social media, with some users saying the operation offered a template for how Beijing could handle tensions with Taiwan.

Ireland's Prime Minister Micheál Martin visits China starting Sunday, marking the first visit by an Irish leader in 14 years

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin will visit China from Sunday, the Asian nation's foreign ministry said, the first such trip by an Irish Taoiseach since 2012 as Beijing shores up ties with individual members of the European Union bloc.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar will co-chair two-day seventh round of the China–Pakistan Strategic Dialogue beginning in Beijing today. The Dialogue will review the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, identify new areas of partnership and further advance the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership between Pakistan and China.

Trump’s operation against the Venezuelan strongman shot to the top of China’s Weibo late Saturday, with the topic gaining some 440 million views on the X-like platform.

On January 2, 2026, in Beijing, China, @Túnmánzhòngdùyīlài shared a video capturing a funny and visually striking moment at the Summer Palace. In the video, two black swans land on an icy river and begin gliding across the frozen surface.