Santiago: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that China's financing of President Nicolas Maduro's government is prolonging the crisis in Venezuela. Pompeo kicked off a four-country tour of Latin America in Chile, where he met with President Sebastián Pinera to discuss the US-China trade war and the Venezuelan crisis.

Hyperinflation, shortages of food and medicine and other hardships have forced more than 3 million Venezuelans about one-tenth of the population ¿ to flee the country in the last few years. "China's bankrolling of the Maduro regime helped precipitate and prolong the crisis in that country," Pompeo said on Friday, adding that China invested over USD 60 billion, "with no strings attached."