China slams Trump’s plan to control Venezuela’s oil

China on Wednesday sharply criticised US President Donald Trump’s planned intervention in Venezuela’s oil industry.

The “outrageous use of force against Venezuela” by the United States and the demand that the country should manage its oil resources according to the “America first” principle constitute harassment, violate international law, and harm the rights of the Venezuelan people, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

Venezuela has full sovereignty over its mineral resources and economic activities, Ms Ning continued, stressing that China’s rights and interests in the country must also be protected.

China is a key ally of Venezuela and the largest buyer of the South American country’s oil.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Mr Trump said Venezuela’s interim government would hand over between 30 million and 50 million barrels of “sanctioned oil” to the U.S.

The US president said he would control the proceeds to ensure they were used “to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States.”

READ ALSO: Trump says Venezuela to give US 50 million oil barrels

The US attacked targets in Venezuela on Saturday, seizing authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, over alleged drug offences and removing them from the country.

After the operation, Mr Trump said that the US would temporarily run Venezuela.

The US president had previously highlighted the economic potential of the country’s oil industry, stating that major US oil companies would invest in repairing infrastructure and developing production.

(dpa/NAN)