Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez Reuters CARACAS, Venezuela (AP)  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the United States of promoting violence in Tibet, saying Washington aims to weaken China and sabotage the Olympics in Beijing. "The (U.S.) imperialists want to divide China. And they're causing problems there in Tibet," Chavez said in a speech Monday night. "They're trying to sabotage the Olympics in Beijing, and behind that is the hand of imperialism." "We ask the world to support China to neutralize this plan," he added. The deadly riots in Lhasa this month have been the largest and most sustained in almost 20 years, and China has blamed followers of the Dalai Lama for the uprising. Chavez has built close ties with China and said in an earlier speech Monday that U.S. "imperialism is on the offensive" there. "You see the images of the violence in Tibet. Who is that against? Against China," Chavez said. "It's the (U.S.) empire that wants to weaken China, because China is rising up." Chavez, who survived a failed coup in 2002, has often accused the U.S. of trying to topple his own government — something U.S. officials deny. He also accused Washington on Monday of trying to "weaken Russia" by supporting independence for Kosovo despite opposition by Serbia and Russia. He called Kosovo's new leader, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, a "terrorist" put in power by the U.S. — even though he was elected by Kosovo's parliament — and noted that the former rebel leader's nom de guerre was "The Snake." Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.