The Venezuelans expressed their anger and anxiety over the recent U.S. military strikes against their country and the ensuing capture of President Nicolas Maduro, and condemned the U.S. military aggression as a terrorist act.
The United States launched large-scale military strikes against Venezuela early on Jan 3 and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, and then transported the couple to the New York city.
The U.S. military operation plunged the Venezuelan capital of Caracas into chaos, with residents of the hillside neighborhood of San Agustin in south of central Caracas witnessing the strikes firsthand.
From their vantage point overlooking the capital city, they could see the strategic La Carlota Air Base and the Fort Tiuna military command center, both primary targets in the U.S. strikes.
Alejandro Calabalou, a resident of San Agustin, recounted the night shattered by violence. From his rooftop, he observed more than a dozen helicopters flying toward Fort Tiuna before huge explosions and the sound of heavy machine gun fire coming from the direction of the base.
"The entire place was shaking violently. The helicopters circled overhead, darting back and forth. Small fireballs could be seen falling from the sky, bursting into massive blazes the moment they hit the ground. Bombs were dropped everywhere. Soon the entire hill and the horizon were filled with fiery red and orange. What happened plunged me into deep anxiety. I can no longer sleep as soundly as before. I have become hypervigilant, always waking at 02:00 and lying awake the rest of the night. I felt the attack had truly left me with emotional trauma," he said.
Following the U.S. military strikes, the neighborhood remained without communications, electricity or water for two days.
Residents condemned the U.S. military strikes on the South American nation as a terrorist act, and urged the immediate release of their president.
"[The U.S.] shows us no respect. They don't follow the rules at all. They break in like intruders and terrorists invading our country. They want our oil, they want our wealth," said Tianixa Caraballo, another resident of San Agustin.
"I'm really distressed about what is happening in Venezuela. We are waiting for the United States to release our president and our Celia, because this situation absolutely cannot continue. Venezuela is ours. We, the Venezuelans, are the ones who decide here. We want our president back in Venezuela," said Ramona, a community leader of San Agustin.
Venezuelans express anger over US military strikes
From cutting-edge technology exhibitions to retail stores thousands of kilometers away from Europe and Southeast Asia, China-made robot vacuum cleaners are increasingly becoming a popular choice among consumers worldwide.
At electronics retailers in Berlin, Germany, Chinese brands such as Roborock and Dreame occupy prominent positions in dedicated robot vacuum sections, offering a wide range of products priced between 200 and 2,000 euros.
Many local consumers said that when purchasing smart home appliances including robot vacuum cleaners, they tend to give priority to Chinese-made products.
"It's a good price and good quality. It's also the innovation. I have a feeling that the European brands are not innovating enough," said one customer.
"I think they're always on top of the other technologies. They are getting them out faster. A lot of us are switching to the Chinese technology," another consumer said.
Germany is one of the most important overseas markets for China's floor-cleaning robots.
According to data from market research firm GfK, from January to November 2025, more than six out of 10 robot vacuum cleaners sold in Western Europe were Chinese brands.
Industry data also point to a strong global momentum.
According to the International Data Corporation (IDC), global shipments of smart robot vacuum cleaners reached 17.424 million units in the first three quarters of 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.7 percent.
Chinese brands including Roborock, Ecovacs, Dreame, Xiaomi and Narwal ranked among the world's top five in terms of shipment volume, with a combined share of nearly 70 percent of the global market.
At a robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing plant in Huizhou, south China's Guangdong Province, workers were seen stepping up production of newly launched models that recently debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in the United States, which concluded Friday in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The factory adjusted its production lines as early as December 2025 and stocked inventory in advance for overseas markets to ensure that new products could be delivered to global consumers at the earliest possible time.
"In 2025, Roborock's global shipments exceeded 7.2 million units. Since 2024, overseas revenue has accounted for more than 50 percent of our total revenue. Our products have now been sold to more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than 20 million households worldwide," said Quan Gang, president of Roborock.
At another robot vacuum cleaner manufacturing facility in Dongguan, Guangdong, rising overseas orders have prompted the company to upgrade its production lines with intelligent technologies to further boost capacity. The factory is currently operating at full load to meet a growing demand.
"For 2026, we have already obtained overseas orders worth at least 300 million to 400 million yuan (around 43 million to 57.3 million U.S. dollars). In addition, we've engaged in strategic cooperation with European home appliance group Cebos Group, and our total confirmed orders have exceeded 600 million yuan (around 86 million U.S. dollars)," said Zhang Junbin, founder and CEO of Narwal Robotics.
Chinese robot vacuum brands gain strong global traction
