Chinese projects in Venezuela have been hit by the Latin American country's state graft, Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaio claimed in an exclusive interview with the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
He argued that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is "increasingly isolated and is largely acting alone" and that "China has witnessed at first hand the plundering of our state resources by Maduro's government".
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China's development projects in Venezuela "have been equally affected and falling due to governmental corruption and debt default", Guaido claimed.
He also stressed his readiness to establish a "productive and mutually beneficial relationship" with China and wants to engage Chinese officials in a dialogue "as soon as possible".
"China's support will be very important in boosting our country’s economy and future development," Guaido added.
His remarks followed a statement by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang saying that Beijing's deals with Caracas should not be affected "no matter how circumstances change" and that China remains in touch with "all sides" in different ways.
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On 23 January, Guaido declared himself the country’s interim president, prompting Nicolas Maduro to blame the US for attempting to stage a coup in Venezuela.
Uruguay and Mexico, which along with Russia and a spate of other countries, earlier backed Maduro as Venezuela's only president meanwhile, said that they are planning to convene a conference on 7 February in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo to try to hammer out a new dialogue mechanism to aid the country's return to stability.
