China said on Monday that Latin American countries are sovereign states with the right to choose their own international partners, responding to recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump suggesting that Beijing and Moscow could buy Venezuelan oil only under U.S. oversight.
Speaking at a regular press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that "Latin American countries are all sovereign and independent countries, and they have every right to independently choose their own cooperation partners, adding that regardless of how circumstances evolve, China would "continue to deepen pragmatic cooperation and promote common development with Latin American countries, Venezuela included."
