China says it stands in solidarity with former Caribbean leaders over US military operations in the Caribbean Sea.

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Gus Jiakun said at a press conference on Tuesday: “We noted the relevant statement. We hope that the US side will listen to the strong call of Caribbean nations and the international community, cease actions that undermine the peace and stability of the Caribbean region, and return to the path of conducting normal law enforcement and judicial cooperation within bilateral and multilateral legal frameworks.

Outcry in the region followed the US’s recent fatal attacks on suspected drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea.

Many fisherfolk have expressed fear of taking to the seas to sustain their livelihoods lest they be mistaken for drug traffickers and attacked by US aircraft.

CARICOM has expressed concern about these attacks and has called on the Trump administration to find another way to resolve the issue.

All this comes at news that the US is building a heavy military presence in the Caribbean and has deployed its largest aircraft carrier to the region.

Trinidad & Tobago has taken the decision to side with the US and is helping with its military operations. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar does not share CARICOM’s view on the matter and insists that the twin republic will go its own way.

Venezuela has now suspended its energy agreement with Trinidad amid the US warship dispute.

Recently, ten former leaders from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states, including former Prime Minister Patterson of Jamaica and former President Ramotar of Guyana, issued a joint statement expressing deep concern over military operations by a certain country in the Caribbean Sea.

They reaffirmed the region’s status as a Zone of Peace for over 50 years, and pointed out that the United States should combat drug trafficking within the framework of the rule of law, rather than greenlighting extrajudicial killings. Prior to this, experts of the Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures and Caribbean media commentators also argued that US military actions constitute the crime of extrajudicial execution.