Journalists attend a press conference given by Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi via video link in Beijing, capital of China, May 24, 2020. Wang answered questions of journalists from home and abroad on China’s foreign policy and foreign relations during the press conference on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday warned that some U.S. political forces are taking China-U.S. relations hostage and trying to push the two countries to the brink of a “new Cold War.”

This is a dangerous attempt to turn back the wheel of history, Wang said at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session.

Efforts should be made to stop the dangerous practice, he said.

The attempt would ruin the cooperation results achieved by both peoples over the years, undermine the future development of the United States, and jeopardize stability and prosperity of the world, he said.

“Both China and the U.S. stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. This best captures what we have learned from the past decades,” he said. “Both sides should take this lesson to heart.”

Noting that China remains committed to jointly developing ties marked by coordination, cooperation and stability with the United States, Wang said China will defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, its legitimate right to development, and its dignity and place in the world which the Chinese people have worked so hard to earn.

“China and the U.S. should and must find a way of peaceful co-existence and mutually beneficial cooperation, demonstrating that this is possible between two countries with different systems and cultures,” he said.