A wide range of cultural and tourism activities enlivened Beijing during the New Year holiday, driving strong growth in holiday consumption. Nearly 100 cinemas across the city extended their hours to meet rising holiday demand, with more than 10 major theaters staying open overnight.
The city also launched an initial group of 12 new entertainment complexes -- integrating film screenings, dining and other leisure offerings -- in several core urban districts and key commercial zones across Beijing. Cinemas also partnered with neighboring businesses to offer "one-ticket, multiple benefits" promotions, helping to stimulate local consumption.
"With this ticket stub, you can enjoy many discounts at partnered businesses. It feels like a really great deal -- like we're getting more value for our money," said a consumer surnamed Qi.
Meanwhile, 49 New Year–themed concerts and more than 800 ticketed performances energized the city’s cultural scene, spanning venues from the Beijing Performing Arts Center, Beijing Library and the Grand Canal Museum of Beijing -- the three landmark buildings of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center -- to the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA).
Adding to the festive atmosphere, "Wanli", a micro-resort complex in the cultural and tourism area of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center (BMC), hosted special events such as themed parties and extended its opening hours to help boost the nighttime economy.
More than 30 activity options -- including stove-side tea brewing, ice-and-snow themed events, and rural tours -- were coordinated across the city's scenic areas.
By linking culture, tourism, commerce and consumption across the city, Beijing strengthened coordination between supply and demand through a wide range of events, injecting fresh economic momentum into the holiday.
Over the New Year holiday, Beijing welcomed more than 8 million tourist visits and generated 10.97 billion yuan (about 1.57 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue -- a record high for the holiday period.
Beijing rings in New Year with festive events, boosts tourism spending
The United States' strikes on Venezuela and its abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife on Saturday have drawn worldwide condemnations.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has struck Venezuela and captured Maduro, who was flown out of the country along with his wife.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was deeply alarmed by the U.S. military actions, his spokesperson said in a statement.
"The Secretary-General continues to emphasize the importance of full respect -- by all -- of international law, including the UN Charter. He's deeply concerned that the rules of international law have not been respected," said the statement issued by spokesperson Stephane Dujarric.
China called on the United States to release Maduro and his wife at once, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on Sunday.
China expresses grave concern over the U.S. forcible abduction of the Venezuelan President and his wife and taking them out of the country, said the spokesperson, adding that the U.S. move is in clear violation of international law, basic norms in international relations, and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
China calls on the United States to ensure the personal safety of Maduro and his wife, release them at once, stop toppling the government of Venezuela, and resolve issues through dialog and negotiation, said the spokesperson.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called for immediate clarification of the situation around Maduro and his wife after the U.S. aggression against Venezuela.
Russia is "extremely alarmed" by reports of Maduro and his wife's forcible removal from Venezuela during the U.S. action, the ministry said in a statement.
"We call for immediate clarification of this situation. Such actions, if they actually occurred, constitute an unacceptable infringement on the sovereignty of an independent state, respect for which is a key principle of international law," the ministry added.
The ministry also said that the United States committed "an act of armed aggression" against Venezuela, which causes deep concern and condemnation.
The ministry noted that Latin America must remain a zone of peace, and Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to determine its own destiny without any destructive and military interference from outside.
Tens of thousands of people gathered on Saturday in Havana, the capital of Cuba, to denounce the U.S. military actions against Venezuela and voice support for their Latin American brother in defending its sovereignty.
At the event, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said that Latin America is not the backyard of the United States and that it neither accepts nor recognizes the Monroe Doctrine.
Condemning the U.S. strikes on Venezuela and its kidnapping of Maduro, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that such actions blatantly violated international law, and gravely infringed upon the sovereignty of Venezuela, leading to power politics rather than multilateralism and resulting in violence, chaos and turmoil.
He urged the international community to react in a strong manner through the United Nations.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro opposed the unilateral military action, urging de-escalation to protect civilians.
The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday condemned the U.S. actions against Venezuela for violating the country's sovereignty, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
"The DPRK Foreign Ministry strongly denounces the U.S. hegemony-seeking act committed in Venezuela as the most serious form of encroachment of sovereignty and as a wanton violation of the UN Charter and international laws," a ministry spokesperson was quoted by the KCNA as saying.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday said on social media that the U.S. capture of Maduro and his wife constitutes a clear violation of international law and amounts to an unlawful use of force against a sovereign state.
He said that the Maduro couple must be released immediately, adding that U.S. actions erode fundamental restraints on the use of power between states and weakens the legal framework that underpins international order.
Within the EU, nations including Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal said they are closely monitoring the situation and called for restraint and solutions based on international law.
The European Parliament criticized the U.S. action as illegal and destabilizing.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on Saturday said on social media that the EU is closely monitoring the situation in Venezuela.
"Under all circumstances, the principles of international law and the UN Charter must be respected," she said.
US strikes on Venezuela draw international condemnation
