By Liz Lee
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s President Xi Jinping has congratulated Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro on his presidential reelection, state media said on Tuesday, in contrast to doubt and criticism expressed by some Latin American leaders and the United States.
Electoral authorities said Maduro won a third term with 51% of the vote, extending a quarter-century of socialist rule, though the opposition said it had voting-tally proof of having won as anti-government protests erupted nationwide, with police firing tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital Caracas.
Xi reiterated ties of friendship in his message to Maduro, saying the latter had led his government and people on a path of development in line with national conditions, official news agency Xinhua said.
“China will, as always, firmly support Venezuela’s efforts to safeguard national sovereignty, national dignity and social stability, and firmly support Venezuela’s just cause of opposing external interference,” Xi said.
All parties should respect the choices of the Venezuelan people, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson told a news briefing in reply to a query about China’s position on Maduro’s contested reelection.
“We believe that the (Venezuelan) government and people are capable of handling their own internal affairs,” the spokesperson, Lin Jian, added.
However, Latin American governments as well as the United States expressed doubt about Maduro’s win, with the Biden administration accusing him of election manipulation and Peru dismissing Venezuelan diplomats.
Russia, Cuba, Honduras and Bolivia were supportive of the election results.
(Reporting by Liz Lee and Joe Cash; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
