China has spoken out against what it described as "unilateral bullying" after the United States ordered a blockade of tankers entering and leaving the waters of oil-rich Venezuela. However, Beijing did not specify how it could provide support to the South American country or whether it would offer asylum to its President Nicolas Maduro, "Reuters" reports.
Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump ordered a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers trying to leave or enter Venezuelan waters, with Washington concentrating military forces and warships in the region. The US administration says the measure is aimed at curbing the financing of terrorism, drug trafficking and human trafficking. Last week, the US Coast Guard seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone call with his Venezuelan counterpart Ivan Hill that Beijing opposes all forms of "unilateral bullying" and supports countries in defending their sovereignty and national dignity. The official statement of the call did not directly mention the United States or President Trump, nor did it provide specific details about the form or scale of possible Chinese support for Caracas.
China is the largest buyer of Venezuelan crude, accounting for about 4% of China's crude imports. Analysts estimate that shipments in December are expected to average more than 600,000 barrels per day. For years, Beijing has provided credit lines to Venezuela under "loans for oil" schemes. Earlier this year, during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow, Maduro said his country looked forward to expanding cooperation with China on trade and energy.
At the same time, China has been working to maintain stable relations with the United States, its most important trading partner. After months of bitter disputes over trade and tariffs, Trump and Xi reached a consensus in October on how to manage sensitive trade issues.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused the United States of seeking control of the country's oil resources and that military action is aimed at removing him from power. In an interview with Politico, Donald Trump said Maduro's days are "numbered".
The international community has called for de-escalation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has urged the United States and Venezuela to abide by their obligations under international law and the UN Charter to preserve peace in the region. The presidents of Mexico and Brazil have also called for restraint and dialogue. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call with Maduro last week, reaffirmed his support for the Venezuelan government's policy of defending national sovereignty amid growing external pressure.