The global industrial and supply chains are public goods, and it is in the interest of the whole world, including China and the U.S., to safeguard them, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said on Thursday.

China made the remarks in response to the U.S. Senate's proposed "Strategic Competition Act of 2021."

The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee introduced the sweeping 280-page bill last week that aims to counter China's global influence and allocate more than $1 billion to strengthen U.S. influence.

The bill includes $75 million to help nations in the Indo-Pacific as a counterweight to China's Belt and Road Initiative and $15 million to help U.S. companies leave the Chinese market.

It also addresses "humanitarian and democratic values," including new sanctions on China over Xinjiang and Hong Kong.

"Relevant individuals on the U.S. side should view China and China-U.S. relations in an objective and rational light and stop pushing the negative bill concerning China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said last week.

He added that China will continue to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests.

China has earlier made clear that its goal was not to surpass the U.S. on global influence, but to become a better China that can serve its people in a better way.

China's exports to the U.S. jumped by 62.7 percent year on year in the first quarter, and its imports from the U.S. rose by 57.9 percent year on year, MOFCOM data showed on Thursday.

MOFCOM spokesperson Gao Feng said the rise in bilateral trade has mainly resulted from the steady recovery of the two economies and cooperation, as well as the low base effect caused by the coronavirus last year.