ISTANBUL

China on Monday slammed the US for “arbitrarily seizing” vessels of other nations amid escalating tensions in the Caribbean.

“The US practice of arbitrarily seizing other countries’ vessels grossly violates international law,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing.

“China opposes unilateral, illicit sanctions that have no basis in international law or have no authorization of the United Nations Security Council,” said Lin.

The statement from Beijing came as the US forces were pursuing another Venezuelan oil tanker in the Caribbean, and if seized, it will be the third ship intercepted since Dec. 10.

The US Coast Guard "operation" targets the Bella 1 tanker, a Panamanian-flagged vessel sanctioned by the US, which is en route to Venezuela to load oil, Bloomberg reported Sunday.​​​​​​​

The incident follows the boarding of the Centuries supertanker on Saturday and the Skipper on Dec. 10.

The development comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Caracas.

US President Donald Trump declared a "total and complete blockade" of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela.

Venezuela condemns US actions as "international piracy."

Washington has said the measures aim to combat corruption and drug trafficking, while Caracas accuses the US of using anti-narcotics efforts as a pretext to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power and gain control over Venezuela's oil resources.

“We stand against any move that violates the purposes of the UN Charter and infringes upon other countries’ sovereignty and security and all acts of unilateralism and bullying,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“Venezuela has the right to independently develop mutually beneficial cooperation with other countries, and we believe that the international community can understand and support Venezuela’s stance of defending its own rights,” he added.