China on Monday slammed the intensifying U.S. pressure on Venezuela and the seizure of Venezuela-linked oil tankers, saying that the unilateral U.S. moves violate international law.
“The US practice of arbitrarily seizing other countries’ vessels grossly violates international law,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a regular press briefing on Monday, as carried by Bloomberg.
China opposes any move that “infringes upon other countries’ sovereignty and security, and all acts of unilateralism or bullying,” the foreign ministry official added.
This weekend, the United States seized a second oil tanker offshore Venezuela and is currently pursuing in the Caribbean a third vessel linked to Caracas.
The U.S. Coast Guard is “in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” a U.S. official told ABC News late on Sunday.
“It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” the official noted.
The intensified U.S. pressure on physical crude oil supply out of Venezuela sent oil prices 1.5% higher early on Monday.
“Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries,” Lin said, as China – the top customer of Venezuela’s state oil firm PDVSA via a shadow fleet of tankers – stood firmly in Caracas’ corner against the U.S. blockade of Venezuela-linked tankers.
China supports Venezuela in “defending its own legitimate rights and interests,” said the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman.
Most of Venezuela’s crude is being shipped on shadow-fleet tankers to China. The U.S. blockade is paralyzing this lifeline for Nicolas Maduro’s regime in Caracas. At the same time, the Trump Administration allows Venezuelan crude to flow to the U.S. Gulf Coast via shipments chartered by U.S. supermajor Chevron, which has a special license to operate in Venezuela and export to the U.S. part of the crude it pumps through its joint ventures there.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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