ISTANBUL 

China said on Friday that it opposes external forces interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext, urging the US to lift the “illicit unilateral sanctions” it imposed on Caracas.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing “consistently opposes unilateral sanctions that lack a basis in international law and have not been authorized by the UN Security Council.”

China opposes “external forces interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs under any pretext,” she told a news conference in Beijing, according to Global Times.

“We call on the US to lift the illicit unilateral sanctions, and choose the cause of action that is conducive to peace, stability and development in Latin America and the Caribbean region,” she added.

Her remarks came after the US on Monday formally designated the Venezuela-based Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), in a document published in the country's Federal Register.

"I hereby designate the aforementioned organization and its respective aliases as a Foreign Terrorist Organization," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in the document.

The Venezuelan government rejected the move as a "ridiculous" plan to designate a "nonexistent" cartel as a terrorist organization.

The US has for months been expanding military operations across Latin America, deploying Marines, warships, fighter and bomber jets, submarines, and drones amid speculation that it could launch an attack on the Latin American nation, which it accuses of sending drugs and “criminals” to its shores.