Beijing “opposes the use or threat of force in international relations and rejects external interference in Venezuela’s internal affairs, regardless of the pretext,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.
Her comments referred to US warships patrolling the Caribbean Sea near Venezuelan shores. According to Mao, US actions violate other nations’ sovereignty and threaten regional peace.
She added that Beijing “opposes any actions that violate the purposes and principles of the UN Charter or infringe on the sovereignty and security of other countries.”
The Chinese diplomat urged Washington to “do more to contribute to peace and security in Latin America and the Caribbean,” instead of resorting to military measures that, according to several regional leaders, jeopardize stability in the area.
On Wednesday, leaders of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) called for Latin American and Caribbean unity in the face of US “threats.” They accused Washington of conducting a “military deployment” in “Caribbean waters” and demanded an immediate end to threats against the region’s countries.
During the ALBA’s 13th Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State and Government, Bolivian President Luis Arce said the purpose of the meeting was to express our full solidarity with the Venezuelan people and government in the face of “the unacceptable provocation by the United States, which still thinks that our America is its backyard.”
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called for the unity of all rebellious peoples and social movements across Latin America, the Caribbean, the US, Africa and “beyond,” in defense of “the Venezuelan people’s right to sovereignty, peace, self-determination, and their future.”
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel denounced Washington’s actions against the Bolivarian leader, calling them another show of imperial power. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega also urged joint efforts to defend regional sovereignty during the ALBA-TCP summit.