Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday said China will be a firm force for peace, stability and progress in the world.

“The world landscape today is undergoing profound transformation, and human society is confronted with multiple challenges. In this changing and turbulent international environment, China will remain a staunch force for peace, stability and progress of the world,” he told a press conference during the week-long "two sessions" in Beijing.

Asked about US trade restrictions on China, Wang said the consequences of a conflict between the two countries are unthinkable.

He urged Washington to fulfil its promises and work with Beijing to stabilise bilateral ties.

“Peaceful co-existence is the baseline, because conflict and confrontation between two major countries like China and the US have unimaginable consequences. Win-win cooperation is the goal, because when working together, China and the US can do great things conducive to the two countries and the world.”

The foreign minister said the US still has wrong perceptions of China despite progress made since the landmark talks between Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden in San Francisco last November.

On disputes in the South China Sea, Wang said peace in the waterway should be upheld by China and Asean countries, stressing the need to properly manage differences through dialogue and consultation.

He also said Beijing will take justified actions to defend its rights according to the law and "respond to unwarranted provocations with prompt and legitimate countermeasures" in the South China Sea.

On Taiwan, Wang said the one-China principle is an international consensus and anyone supporting so-called “Taiwan independence” will “get burned for playing with fire”.