China on Monday rebuked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s for his recent remarks that China’s support for the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is hypocritical and helps to prolong the crisis in the Latin American country. Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that Pompeo’s comments were lies that followed a script used by American politicians to ‘slander’ China across the globe.
According to a recent anonymous statement by a US military official, the Pentagon is exploring military options aimed at deterring Russian, Cuban and Chinese influence in Venezuela. Some analysts believe the US is planning a military campaign aimed at overthrowing President Maduro altogether. US President Donald Trump has been considering such an operation since at least 2017 and has recently recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela.
Read more: ‘Mr Pompeo, you can stop’: China hits back at criticism over Latin America
