China calls on US to drop Trump-era sanctions and warns against 'bullying'

Foreign minister Wang Yi calls for cooperation and signals that Beijing will stand firm against criticism

China's top diplomat has called on the US to drop the sanctions and restrictions introduced by Donald Trump and warned against international hegemony and bullying" and interference in what Beijing considers internal affairs, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and the South China Sea.

On day three of China's annual National People's Congress (NPC), the country's foreign minister, Wang Yi, signalled that Beijing intended to hold firm against growing international criticism of its perceived expansionist and hostile activity and domestic human rights abuses.