Without mentioning the United States or Venezuela, Xi said that “all countries should respect the development paths independently chosen by the peoples of other nations”.
He added that they must “abide by international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, with major powers, in particular, taking the lead,” according to CCTV.
Xi made the comments during a meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin.
China has long been close to Venezuela. It previously called on the US to “immediately” release Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and also said it was “deeply shocked by and strongly condemns the US’s blatant use of force against a sovereign state.”