China supports Venezuela after Trump orders blockade of oil tankers

China's top diplomat expressed support for Venezuela on Wednesday, criticizing unilateral coercion hours after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered to block oil tankers to increase pressure on the Latin American country. This was reported by the agency Bloomberg.

The day before, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Venezuelan counterpart Ivan Gil that Beijing opposes "unilateral intimidation" and supports all countries in defending their sovereignty and national dignity.

Although the Chinese foreign minister did not directly name the United States, these statements came less than a day after Trump announced the naval operation. The move marks a significant escalation in Washington's campaign to overthrow the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

The Chinese foreign minister added that Venezuela has the right to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, and that Beijing believes that the international community supports Caracas' position.

On Tuesday, December 16, Trump ordered the blocking of sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.

"The shock will be like nothing they've ever seen before," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

• November 24, Washington recognized Maduro and his allies in the government as members of a foreign terrorist organization.
• December 10, Trump reported said that his country had seized the largest tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
• On December 17, it was reported that the United States introduced a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela's ports.