China Sends Emergency Aid to Earthquake-Stricken Venezuela

The Government of China delivered a charter flight containing 80 tonnes of emergency humanitarian relief supplies to Venezuela on July 6, 2026. The shipment, which included generators, water purifiers, tents, and blankets, arrived at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia. This aid follows two magnitude 7 earthquakes on June 24, the strongest to hit the country in over a century, which caused between 3,342 and 3,535 deaths and injured 16,740 people.

In addition to physical supplies, China pledged an emergency grant of 100 million yuan (approximately $14.7 million) and provided satellite imagery of the disaster zones. The Red Cross Society of China contributed $300,000 in cash assistance to the Venezuelan Red Cross. Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil received the shipment alongside Chinese Ambassador Lan Hu, noting that Chinese-funded enterprises and local communities had already been aiding rescue efforts.

Diplomatically, China used the relief effort to criticize U.S. foreign policy. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on the United States to lift unilateral sanctions against Venezuela to facilitate national reconstruction, asserting that such sanctions lack a basis in international law.