UNITED NATIONS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called for a political solution to the Venezuelan crisis.

"China calls on the Venezuelan government and opposition to seek a political solution through dialogue and consultations within the constitutional and legal framework," Ma Zhaoxu, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, told the Security Council.

China supports the Venezuelan government's efforts to safeguard the sovereignty, independence and stability of the country and holds that Venezuelan affairs should be handled independently by the Venezuelan people themselves, said Ma.

China's position on the Security Council's involvement in the Venezuela issue has been consistent and clear, he said. "Our point of departure has always been to uphold the spirit of the UN Charter and the basic norms governing international relations, promote a peaceful settlement of the Venezuela issue and maintain long-term peace and development in Latin America."