BEIJING, January 7. /TASS/. Beijing strongly condemns Washington's attempts to force Venezuela to sever ties with China and Russia in order to transfer oil resources under the control of American companies, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.
"Venezuela is a sovereign state, possessing full and inalienable sovereignty over its natural resources. The fact that the US brazenly used force and now demands control over Venezuelan oil is the implementation of the slogan 'America First' and typical bullying," the diplomat said.
Mao Ning emphasized that such actions seriously violate international law and the rights of the Venezuelan people.
On January 3, the United States attacked civilian and military targets in Venezuela and took Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife out of the country.
They were taken to the United States and held at a detention facility in Brooklyn, in the south of New York. On January 5, Maduro and his wife appeared before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. US authorities accuse them of involvement in drug trafficking, allegations both defendants have denied.