UNITED NATIONS - A Chinese envoy on Friday expressed deep concern over rising tensions in the Caribbean, blaming US military operations near Venezuela for destabilizing the region.

The United States has recently deployed forces in Caribbean waters off Venezuela under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, said Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

US actions, including reportedly sinking Venezuelan vessels, shooting sailors, and seizing fishing boats, have led to continued regional tensions, he noted.

"The unilateral and excessive enforcement operations by the United States against another country's vessels in so-called international waters infringe on the right to life and other basic human rights," Fu told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

"These acts threaten the freedom and security of navigation and could undermine countries' rights on the high seas," he added.

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Fu said the actions "severely infringe on other countries' sovereignty, security and lawful rights and interests", calling them a grave violation of international law and a threat to regional peace and stability.

"China opposes any act that violates the purposes and principles of the UN Charter," he said. "We oppose the use or threat of force in international relations, and the interference of external forces in Venezuela's internal affairs under any pretext."

Fu urged the United States to immediately halt what he called unlawful actions to prevent further escalation and not to "use the excuse of combating drug trafficking to jeopardize navigational security and the freedoms and rights they enjoy under international law".

He added that China supports international cooperation in combating transnational crimes and called on Washington to pursue law enforcement and judicial cooperation through bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks.