Beijing Rebukes U.S. Sanctions on Six Shipping Firms

(MENAFN) Beijing issued a sharp rebuke Friday following Washington's decision to impose fresh sanctions on multiple shipping firms and seize an oil tanker near Venezuelan waters earlier in the week.

The sanctions package targets six maritime companies and their associated vessels—including one registered under Hong Kong's flag—for conducting operations within Venezuela's petroleum industry, the US Treasury Department announced Thursday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun condemned the measures during a Beijing press briefing, stating that Beijing "opposes unilateral illicit sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law or authorization of the UN Security Council, and the abuse of sanctions."

The punitive actions came days after US President Donald Trump revealed Wednesday that his administration had confiscated a tanker vessel off Venezuela's coast, marking an escalation in hostilities with President Nicolas Maduro's administration.

Treasury officials also designated three nephews of Maduro's spouse, Cilia Flores, alongside a business associate linked to Maduro, as part of the expanded sanctions regime.

Since early September, US forces have executed 22 documented operations against suspected "narco-terrorist" maritime targets across the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in 87 fatalities, according to US authorities.

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