China opposes outside interference in Venezuela's internal affairs

China opposes outside interference in Venezuela's internal affairs, calling upon all relevant parties to contribute more to the South American country's stability, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday.

Geng's comment came after a United Nations Security Council emergency meeting was held Saturday on the situation in Venezuela, in which US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo participated and criticized Russia and China for blocking a US push for a UN Security Council statement.

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president on Wednesday, winning backing from Washington and parts of Latin America and promoting incumbent President Nicolas Maduro to break off diplomatic ties with the United States.

"China has been following closely the current situation in Venezuela. China supports the efforts made by the Venezuelan government to uphold national sovereignty, independence and stability, maintains that all countries should abide by the tenets and principles of the UN Charter, opposes external interference in Venezuela's affairs and opposes interference in each other's internal affairs. Venezuela's affairs must and can only be chosen and decided by the Venezuelan people themselves," Geng said.

"We hope all parties can contribute more to Venezuela's stability, to improving the Venezuelan people's livelihood and maintaining international law and the basic norms governing international relations," he added.