A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson on March 28 urged the United States to take China's concerns seriously when handling the Ukraine issue and its relations with Russia and avoid undermining China's legitimate rights and interests.

Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query about U.S. sanctions imposed on Russia.

Wang said that sanctions are not effective ways to solve problems and China stands firm against unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdictions with no basis in international law and no mandate of the UN Security Council. "This is China's consistent position in both open and close-door meetings."

Wang said that more than 140 of the over 190 UN member states have abstained from participating in sanctions on Russia, a sign that most countries in the world have treated the issue of sanctions in a prudent and responsible manner.

"We hope that all sides can calm down to focus on promoting peace talks, rather than escalate sanctions and aggravate disputes," Wang said.

"The problem now is not about who wants to help Russia circumvent the sanctions, but about the fact that the normal trade and economic exchanges between countries, China included, and Russia have already been unnecessarily hurt," Wang said.

"We urge the United States to take China's concerns seriously when handling the Ukraine issue and its relations with Russia and avoid undermining China's legitimate rights and interests in any way," Wang said.

"China will take all necessary measures to firmly uphold the legitimate and lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies and individuals," he added.