BEIJING -- China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday morning urged the US government, Congress and communities to firmly oppose the action of pressuring Chinese renminbi exchange rate with its domestic legislation.

"China called on the US government, Congress and various communities to firmly oppose the wrong doing of pressuring renminbi exchange rate by way of the domestic legislation, to resist protectionism, and to resist the politicization of economic and trade issues, so as to safeguard the healthy development of China-US economic and trade relations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a written statement.

Ma's remarks came in response to the US Senate's passing of the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act on Tuesday. The bill is especially directed at China's currency, the yuan, which the US claimed is undervalued to make Chinese exports to the US cheaper.