BEIJING, March 7. /TASS/. China will carry on with protecting its national sovereignty against the backdrop of the increasing pressure on behalf of the United States and is ready to resort to all necessary measures regarding this issue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday.

"The United States is trying to set up its own bloc to increase pressure on China," the minister said. "China is a sovereign state and we have all rights to resort to necessary measures in order to protect our legal rights."

The minister also said that Beijing is not seeking rivalry with Washington because such strategy is a "relic of the past." Wang Yi said that the United States has been recently "acting irresponsibly on the international arena."

"China and the United States must be cooperating based on an equal basis respecting each other, <…> providing for the harmonious and stable development of bilateral relations," the top Chinese diplomat added.