Xi made the remarks which add to Beijing’s earlier criticism of Washington’s attacks on Venezuela when meeting visiting Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin on Monday.
“The world today is undergoing changes and turbulence not seen in a century, with unilateral acts of hegemony severely undermining the international order,” Xi said, according to Xinhua.
“All countries should respect the development paths independently chosen by the peoples of other nations, abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, and major powers, in particular, should take the lead in doing so.”
Describing both China and Ireland as supporting multilateralism, Xi called for greater coordination and cooperation in global affairs and to “jointly uphold the authority of the United Nations, and promote the development of the global governance system in a more just and reasonable direction”.
China, Venezuela’s largest oil buyer, has said repeatedly that Venezuela has the right to pursue economic cooperation with other countries without external pressure.
