Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (first left) attends a press conference on China's foreign policy and foreign relations via video link on the sidelines of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, on May 24 (XINHUA)

A "political virus" that loses no chance to attack and smear China is spreading in the United States, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on May 24.

Wang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual national legislative session, where he warned that some U.S. political forces are hijacking China-U.S. relations, and efforts should be made to stop the dangerous practice.

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.

The COVID-19 epidemic is the common enemy of China and the Unites States, and it is the shared wish of both peoples to support and help each other, he said.

China and the United States should share experience of epidemic fight and learn from each other to boost their respective responses, Wang said. Both countries should follow the expectations of the global society to participate in and promote multilateral cooperation against COVID-19 and play a positive role in the global response, he added.

"As we are getting prepared for a long-term and regular fight against the disease, the two countries should start as early as possible to coordinate and communicate over macro-policies to mitigate the impact of the disease on both economies and the world economy," he said.

At the same time, Wang said that China is open to joint efforts by the international science community to identify the source of the virus, and the process must be professional, impartial and constructive.