The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction with and firm opposition to new U.S. rules against five Chinese media outlets and urged the U.S. to abandon its Cold War mentality.

Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remarks after U.S. news outlets reported that the U.S. Department of State will force Chinese media outlets operating in the United States to register as "foreign missions."

News organizations play an important role as a bridge or bond facilitating communication and understanding between people of different countries, Geng said.

The U.S. offices of Chinese media have long been covering news following the principles of objectivity, impartiality, truth and accuracy, he stressed. "They have helped promote mutual understanding, communication and cultural exchange between our two countries."

Geng called the new rules "unjustified and unacceptable" and urged the U.S. to discard its Cold War mentality and zero-sum game mindset and stop ill-advised measures that undermine bilateral trust and cooperation.

"We reserve the right to take further measures in response," said the spokesperson.

The five Chinese media entities are China Global Television Network (CGTN), China Radio International (CRI), Xinhua News Agency and the parent companies of China Daily and People's Daily newspapers.