Commerce Minister Wang Wentao has urged the United States to lift sanctions on Chinese firms as soon as possible.

Wang on Tuesday held a phone conversation with US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Wang "focused on expressing serious concerns about US semiconductor policy on China and its restrictions on China's network-connected cars", according to a statement from the Commerce Ministry.

He "stressed that it is particularly necessary to clarify national security boundaries in economic and trade fields", the ministry said, adding that would allow for maintaining the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains.

The commerce minister also called on Washington to pay attention to the concerns of Chinese enterprises and improve the business environment for Chinese firms in the US.

A statement released by the US Commerce Department said Raimondo had reiterated that US national security is "not negotiable".

She pointed to the US government's approach of being targeted with security policy "while leaving space for healthy trade and investment", the statement said.

Washington has raised tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, EV batteries and solar cells, and is planning to ban the sale of connected vehicles incorporating Chinese and Russian technology, citing national security risks.

Wang also said China-US economic and trade ties should become the "ballast" in bilateral relations.

The talks between the two commerce chiefs were described by Beijing as candid, in-depth and pragmatic, focusing on the implementation of the consensus reached between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden in their meeting in San Francisco last year. (Xinhua/AFP)