China’s foreign ministry condemned the U.S. seizure of a Venezuela-bound oil tanker on Monday, calling it a serious violation of international law and asserting that Venezuela has the sovereign right to conduct trade with other nations. The move comes amid escalating tensions over U.S. efforts to enforce sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports.
On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the tanker Centuries in international waters off Venezuela. Loaded with approximately 1.8 million barrels of Venezuelan Merey crude oil, the ship was falsely flagged as Crag and bound for China. Documents indicate the crude had been purchased by Satau Tijana Oil Trading, one of several intermediaries facilitating Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA’s sales to Chinese independent refiners.
A White House spokesperson described the vessel as a “falsely flagged vessel” carrying sanctioned oil and part of Venezuela’s so-called “shadow fleet.” The interception occurred days after President Donald Trump announced a blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.
China, the largest importer of Venezuelan crude—which makes up roughly 4% of its oil imports—opposed the U.S. action. At a daily press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said, “Venezuela has the right to develop relations with other countries. China opposes all unilateral and illegal sanctions.”
Venezuelan authorities denounced the operation as a “serious act of international piracy,” reiterating their condemnation of unilateral U.S. measures against the country’s oil sector.
The interception marks the second U.S. action against Venezuela’s oil shipping in recent days, reflecting heightened tensions in the region and a growing focus on the Caribbean Sea’s strategic maritime routes. Washington argues these operations target illicit oil shipments used to fund activities it deems destabilizing, while Caracas and Beijing maintain that the actions violate international norms.
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The incident may complicate U.S.-China energy relations and further strain already tense diplomatic ties, particularly as China continues to expand its economic and strategic presence in Latin America.
