The Foreign Ministry on Monday said US sanctions on two senior mainland officials over alleged human rights abuses in Tibet were illegal and seriously harmed Sino-US ties.

Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said the steps were a gross interference in the nation's internal affairs and a violation of basic norms of international relations.

The comments came after the US Treasury Department said on Friday that it had imposed sanctions on Wu Yingjie, the chief of the Communist Party in Tibet between 2016 and 2021, and Zhang Hongbo, a senior public security official in the region.

"We urge the US side to immediately withdraw the so-called sanctions," Wang told a regular briefing.

He added that China would safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.

"The United States has no right to impose sanctions on other countries at every turn and is not qualified to play the world police," Wang added. (Reuters)