China calls for peaceful dialogue on Venezuela crisis
- South American nation’s affairs ‘should be resolved by the Venezuelan people under the framework of its constitution and laws’, Beijing says
- China said last month it opposes external intervention in Venezuela
Peaceful dialogue and political means are the “only way” to enduring peace in Venezuela, China has said, adding that it backs multinational efforts to reach such an outcome.
The comment was made by foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying in response to a question about a meeting on Thursday of an “International Contact Group” led by Uruguayan President Tabare Vasquez and attended by leaders of 14 countries, including Spain, Italy, Portugal and Sweden.
China is a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to whom it has lent billions to help shore up his embattled administration.
China “believes that Venezuela’s affairs should be resolved by the Venezuelan people under the framework of its constitution and laws and through peaceful dialogue and political means”, Hua said. “This is the only way towards enduring peace in the country.”
But she added: “China supports the efforts by the international community to this end and hopes that all sides will continue to play a constructive role in the peaceful resolution of the Venezuela issue.”
Late last month, the ministry issued a statement saying China “opposes external intervention in Venezuela”, in a rebuke to calls in the United States for military action to remove Maduro.