Guyana’s government Thursday lashed out at China for daring to suggest that the CARICOM nation should sit down with Venezuela and negotiate a settlement to Venezuela’s decades-old claim to a large swathe of Guyana’s territory, saying China has remained quiet in the face of a number of provocations by its eastern neighbor in recent years.

The unlikely row between Guyana and one of its largest trading and infrastructural development partners, came a day after Deputy Chief of Mission Huang Rui appeared to ignore current hearings for a settlement in the case at the World Court in The Netherlands, suggesting the two should instead opt for “friendly consultations and negotiations.” Trade between the two hovers around $2 billion according to recent figures released by the embassy.

Upset at the remarks at a press conference, the foreign ministry said it rejects the statement noting that “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 ministry also directly attacked China with its vast investments in and close ties to Venezuela for sitting on the fence as Venezuela has repeatedly harassed Guyana, noting that that there has been “no comment from the government of the People’s Republic of China on the blatant announcement by the government 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 ministry stated.

Venezuela has long claimed Guyana’s western Essequibo region as its own, arguing that an 1890s boundary commission had cheated it out of the area. Tired of fruitless bilateral talks for nearly 30 years, Guyana in 2018 asked the World Court to make a once and for all ruling that is expected late next year or in 2027.

The latest row has come weeks after Venezuela sailed a military boat right in the middle of producing oil fields operated by American supermajor ExxonMobil and partners Hess Corp of the US and China’s CNOOC, sparking tough comments from American Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his recent visit to Guyana.

Rubio said “it would be a bad day, a bad week for Venezuela ”if they were to attack Guyana or ExxonMobil. It will not end well for them,” he had told reporters at a press conference.

Explaining China’s position, the deputy ambassador contended that “the position on that issue, the border issue, is very clear. And, we hope and we think Guyana and also the Venezuelan Government can solve the issue through negotiations. They can solve the border issue through friendly consultations and negotiations.”