Venezuela border controversy: China’s call for “friendly” negotiations improper, out of place – Jagdeo

…as Govt notes China’s silence on Venezuela’s planned illegal elections in Essequibo

The Guyana Government has rejected recent calls by a senior official at the Chinese Embassy in Georgetown, for there to be friendly negotiations between Guyana and Venezuela to settle the decades-old border controversy between the two countries.
In fact, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo pointed out that Guyana has already made its position on this matter pellucidly clear – that it would not engage its Spanish-speaking neighbour, but rather have this matter resolved through the process currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“We’ve said it to the world, to everyone, that we are part of the ICJ process and we’re not going back to bilateral negotiations and discussions on this matter… We believe that the matter would be resolved definitively at the ICJ; and for the Chargé d’Affaires to now say we have to go back to bilateral discussions is improper and out of place… because it is not respectful for our national position,” Jagdeo told reporters at his weekly press briefing on Thursday.
During a press conference on Wednesday in Georgetown, Chargé d’Affaires at the Chinese Embassy, Huang Rui, had said that while China does not intervene in other nations’ internal affairs and respects all nations’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, he believes that Guyana and Venezuela should engage in “friendly consultations and negotiations” to settle the decades old-border issue between the two South American neighbours.
These remarks by the Chinese Deputy Chief of Mission had sparked widespread outrage among Guyanese on social media, including several politicians.
The Foreign Ministry also rejected the call for friendly talks, and in a statement on Thursday, reminded that the matter was currently before the ICJ, based on a recommendation by the former United Nations Secretary General, after years of failed talks between Guyana and Venezuela, in accordance with the parties’ 1966 Geneva Agreement on settlement of the controversy.
Moreover, it was further noted that Guyana’s pellucid commitment to this legal process before the World Court was also recognised in the December 2023 Argyle Declaration – an agreement between President Dr Irfaan Ali and his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, to maintain the Caribbean and Latin America as a zone of peace.
The historic December 14, 2023 Argyle Declaration acknowledges, “Guyana’s assertion that it is committed to the process and procedures of the International Court of Justice for the resolution of the border controversy…”.
According to the Ministry, “To that end, and in order not to undermine the jurisdiction or authority of the Court as the appropriate forum for the resolution of this controversy, Guyana will not engage in discussion of any matter that has been brought before the Court…”
“The principles of international law and mutual respect will continue to guide the actions of the Government of Guyana in its interactions with all member states of the international community,” it added.

China’s silence
Meanwhile, the Guyana Government also used the opportunity to call out China over its glaring silence regarding Venezuela’s plans to host illegal elections in the Essequibo region, which is two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass.
China, which shares strong economic ties with both Guyana and Venezuela, had rarely been vocal against the Spanish-speaking nation’s heightened aggression against Guyana – something which the Guyanese Government has noticed.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has taken note that there has been no comment from the Government of the People’s Republic of China on the blatant announcement by the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela that it intends to conduct elections on 25 May 2025 for a governor and legislative council of “Guayana Esequiba State”, which is the name Venezuela has given to Guyana’s Essequibo region. This is a clear violation of Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Thursday missive detailed.

While China has traditionally refrained from commenting on the border controversy, it had previously called for peace to prevail between Guyana and Venezuela back in 2023.
At a December 6, 2023 press conference in Beijing, China’s former Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, was asked by French news agency AFP about the Guyana-Venezuela border issue.
The former spokesman was asked whether China, a “firm” ally of Venezuela while also maintaining friendly relations with Guyana, supported Venezuela’s unjust claims on Guyana’s territory, and whether the country was worried about a possible invasion.
In response, he had said, “Venezuela and Guyana are both China’s good friends. China always respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries. China always supports the two countries in properly settling the issue of demarcation of their boundary through friendly consultation. This is in the interests of the people of both countries, and conducive to the stability, cooperation and development of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Only recently, President Ali ruled out talks with his Venezuelan counterpart, after Caracas announced plans earlier this year to hold elections in Guyana’s Essequibo region and the subsequent incursion of a Venezuelan naval vessel into Guyana’s waters on March 1, 2025 – actions that have been widely criticised by the international community.
Venezuela is claiming two-thirds of Guyana’s landmass – the entire Essequibo region – and a portion of its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) offshore, where more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) have been discovered in the prolific Stabroek Block.
Chinese state-owned oil company, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), is one of the partners operating in the oil-rich Stabroek Block with a 25 per cent working interest.
During Wednesday’s press conference at the Chinese Embassy, the Chinese diplomat was responding to questions specifically about Venezuela’s recent incursion into Guyana’s water, where it threatened vessels being operated by the Stabroek Block partners.