BEIJING, Dec 22 (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry on Monday said the United States’ seizure of another country’s ships was a serious violation of international law, after the U.S. intercepted a China-bound oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast.
Venezuela has the right to develop relations with other countries, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily press briefing, adding that China opposes all “unilateral and illegal” sanctions.
On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a second oil tanker in international waters off the Venezuelan coast, days after President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela.
The tanker, Centuries, loaded in Venezuela under the false name “Crag” and was carrying some 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil bound for China, documents showed.
The crude was bought by Satau Tijana Oil Trading, one of many intermediaries involved in Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA’s sales to Chinese independent refiners, the documents showed.
A White House spokesperson said the “falsely flagged vessel” carried sanctioned oil and was part of Venezuela’s shadow fleet.
The Venezuelan government called the tanker interception a “serious act of international piracy.”
China is the biggest buyer of Venezuelan crude, which accounts for roughly 4% of its imports.
(Reporting by Beijing Newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Kate Mayberry)
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