China urges U.S. to withdraw sanctions on Chinese military

FILE PHOTO: Russian S-400 Triumph medium-range and long-range surface-to-air missile system is seen along the Kremlin wall during a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia May 6, 2018. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry on Friday said it strongly urged the United States to withdraw sanctions on the Chinese military, after the Trump administration imposed the penalties for buying fighter jets and missile systems from Russia.

Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a daily news briefing in Beijing.

The United States said China's armed forces were in breach of a sweeping U.S. sanctions law punishing Moscow for meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by Michael Martina; Editing by Darren Schuettler)