China: Forced aid entry into Venezuela can trigger conflict

Beijing, Feb 22 (IANS) China on Friday said that the forced entry of humanitarian aid into Venezuela could lead to conflict and warned that Beijing opposed military intervention in the country.

"If the so-called humanitarian assistance is forcefully sent into Venezuela, it might trigger a conflict and have severe consequences. No one wants to see that," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang at a press conference.

The Venezuelan government, according to Geng, had "exercised restraint to safeguard domestic peace and stability".

He added that China opposed military intervention in Venezuela and was "not in favour of any action that could lead to tensions", Efe news reported.

"China-Venezuela cooperation is on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and commercial rules. China will continue its exchange and cooperation with Venezuela in several sectors," the spokesperson added.

Venezuela's self-proclaimed interim President and leader of the National Assembly, Juan Guaido, on Thursday, authorised the entry of humanitarian aid - which was refused by Nicolas Maduro's government - with the issuance of a presidential decree and ordered the military to act in accordance with it.

Maduro responded that he will not allow the entry of the aid and dismissed it as "rotten" donations, adding that it could lead to a foreign invasion.

The Venezuelan political crisis escalated in early January after Maduro was sworn in for a second term of six years. But he was not recognised by the opposition and a part of the international community.

Guaido proclaimed himself interim President of the country soon after and said that Maduro had "usurped" his position by being sworn in as President.

China backed multinational efforts for finding a solution to the ongoing power struggle in Venezuela earlier this month and urged all parties to play a constructive role in the peaceful resolution of the issue.