BEIJING - China on Monday urged the United States to stop wrongfully imposing sanctions on Chinese entities for cooperation with Iran.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remarks at a news briefing when answering a question regarding the United States' new sanctions on Iran, which also involves Chinese entities.

"China always opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction," said Geng.

China believes that imposing or threatening to impose sanctions will not help resolve issues, Geng said, adding that China always upholds that issues between countries should be solved based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and the basic norms of international relations, and that disputes should be properly addressed through peaceful methods including dialogue and consultation.

China calls on all parties to respect the truth, adhere to the principle of political settlement, take practical actions to ease tension in the Middle East and the Gulf region and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the region, said the spokesperson.

He said China has had friendly and mutually beneficial cooperation with Iran within the framework of the international law for a long time, which has not undermined the interests of third parties and should be respected and protected.

"We urge the United States to immediately stop the wrong acts of imposing sanctions on Chinese entities, and we will firmly safeguard our legitimate rights and interests," said Geng.