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China expressed its support for Venezuela this Wednesday and its rejection of what it termed "unilateral intimidation," amid increasing pressure from the United States on the South American country.
The statement occurred during a phone call between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Venezuelan counterpart Yvan Gil, according to a statement from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited by Reuters.
In that conversation, Wang stated that China “supports countries in safeguarding their own sovereignty” and maintained that China and Venezuela are strategic partners, with a relationship characterized by “mutual trust and support.”
According to Reuters, the Chinese minister added that “the international community understands and supports Venezuela's position in defending its legitimate rights and interests,” reinforcing Beijing's message of diplomatic support for Caracas.
The office places these statements in the context of the pressure that, according to Reuters, U.S. President Donald Trump has intensified on Venezuela.
The oil analyst Naveen Das from Kpler states that approximately three-quarters of Venezuelan production is directed to China, but importers in that country can easily replace it with barrels from Russia or Iran.
In an escalation of the conflict with Venezuela, Donald Trump announced a total oil blockade against that country and a tightening of deportations, in a message posted on his social network Truth Social, where he directly accused Nicolás Maduro's regime of financing criminal activities with energy resources.
In his statement, Trump claimed that Venezuela is "completely surrounded" by military forces and warned that the pressure will increase until the country returns to the United States "all the oil, land, and other assets" that, he said, were previously stolen.
The president again described Maduro's government as an "illegitimate regime" and designated it as a foreign terrorist organization.
One day later, this Wednesday, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson suggested that President Trump could take advantage of a speech to announce a significant escalation.
Carlson stated that lawmakers had been informed about the possibility of war against Venezuela.
"What I know so far is that members of Congress were informed yesterday that a war is imminent and that this could be announced in the national address the president will deliver tonight at 9 o'clock," Carlson said.
Since September, the United States has conducted dozens of airstrikes against ships allegedly linked to drug trafficking as part of the “Southern Spear” operation.
Experts and human rights organizations have denounced that the attacks constitute "extrajudicial executions."
The Trump administration has described Maduro as the leader of the "Cartel de los Soles," a drug trafficking organization that chavismo denies.
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