China calls on the United States to lift its illegal and unilateral sanctions imposed on Venezuela and do more to facilitate peace, stability and development in Latin America and the Caribbean region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday.

"China has always opposed unilateral sanctions that have no basis in international law and are not authorized by the United Nations Security Council, and opposes external forces interfering in Venezuela's internal affairs under any pretext," Mao said in response to a related query.

(With input from Xinhua)