The Chinese Foreign Ministry today spoke out against the sanctions imposed by the United States against Venezuela.

China opposes the illegal measures unilaterally imposed on Venezuela by the United States. We urge Washington to immediately and completely stop interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a press conference.

The spokesman backed the Bolivarian government’s statement strongly condemning the US authorities’ move to seize the Citgo Petroleum corporation, a US-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s state-owned PDVSA, which specialises in refining crude oil and distributing fuel on US soil.

The statement points out that the forced sale of that company constitutes a new episode in the multifaceted aggression carried out by US institutions against Venezuela.

China has always firmly upheld the UN Charter and the basic rules governing international relations, Lin said, and reaffirmed that the United States should completely abolish the illegal unilateral sanctions against Venezuela and do more things conducive to peace, stability and development of countries.