The passage of a bill by the US House of Representatives that aims to restrict business with Wuxi AppTec, BGI and other biotech firms was a "discriminatory" measure against Chinese companies, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

At a press briefing, spokeswoman Mao Ning urged the US to respect market principles and trade rules, and stop pushing forward the bill and misusing all kinds of excuses to suppress Chinese companies.

This was the first floor vote for the Biosecure Act, which would prohibit federal contracts with targeted firms and those that do business with them.

The legislation must pass the Senate before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. (Reuters)