China’s Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned the United States’ interception of a foreign vessel, calling it a serious breach of international law, following the US seizure of a China-bound oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.
Spokesperson Lin Jian stated at a daily briefing that Venezuela has the sovereign right to engage in relations with other nations and reiterated China’s opposition to all “unilateral and illegal” sanctions.
The US Coast Guard intercepted a second oil tanker in international waters off Venezuela on Saturday, shortly after President Donald Trump announced a “blockade” targeting all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the country.
The vessel, Centuries, was loaded in Venezuela under the false name Crag and was carrying approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude destined for China, according to shipping documents. The crude had been purchased by Satau Tijana Oil Trading, one of several intermediaries handling sales from Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA to independent Chinese refiners.
A White House spokesperson described the tanker as a “falsely flagged vessel” carrying sanctioned oil and part of Venezuela’s so-called shadow fleet.
The Venezuelan government condemned the interception, calling it a “serious act of international piracy.”
China is the largest importer of Venezuelan crude, which constitutes roughly 4% of its total oil imports.
