Touting Beijing’s cooperation in the fight against the fentanyl epidemic in the US, Wang Yi said Washington should not “repay kindness with resentment, let alone impose tariffs without reason”.

“There are around 190 countries in the world,” Wang said.

“Imagine if every country emphasised their own priority and believed in strength and status, the world would fall back into the law of the jungle,” he said.

Wang also called for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, warning “conflict has no winners, and peace has no losers”.

“China welcomes and supports all efforts dedicated to peace,” Wang said.

The Chinese top diplomat was speaking on the sidelines of the “Two Sessions” political meetings in Beijing, so far dominated by a new administration in the US that is overturning the international order.