BEIJING, March 7 -- China urged the United States to stop imposing sanctions against telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp for alleged violation of U.S. export controls on Iran.

"We hope the U.S. side can stop the wrong decision to prevent harming our trade cooperation and the bilateral relations," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei Monday in Beijing.

Hong told a daily press conference that China always opposes incidents where the United States uses its domestic laws to impede Chinese companies.

It is reported by Reuters that the U.S. Commerce Department is set to place export restrictions on ZTE. The restrictions will make it difficult for the company to acquire U.S. products by requiring ZTE's suppliers to apply for an export license before shipping any American-made equipment or parts to ZTE.