RIO DE JANEIRO, April 28 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday reaffirmed China's commitment to upholding multilateralism and multilateral trade rules.

The United States pursues unilateralism and prioritizes its own country, placing its own interests above international public interests, said Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, during BRICS foreign ministers meeting in Rio de Janeiro.

Wang regards it imperative to uphold multilateral trade rules.

Having long reaped enormous benefits from free trade, the United States is now using tariffs as leverage to extort exorbitant demands from other nations, he said.

If one chooses to stay silent and compromise, it will only embolden the bullies to push further, Wang warned.

He urged BRICS countries to jointly oppose all forms of protectionism and firmly uphold the rules-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core.