Beijing, March 9 - Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Saturday said that "cyber space needs rules and cooperation, not war" and stressed that China is vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Yang made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature.

"The international community is closely interconnected on the Internet, therefore cyber space needs rules and cooperation, not war," the foreign minister said.

"We oppose turning cyber space into another battlefield, or capitalize on virtual reality to interfere in other countries' internal affairs," Xinhua qouted Yang as saying.

"China always advocates a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyber space, supports relative international rules under the framework of the United Nations, and proposes concrete initiatives," Yang said.

"We hope any irresponsible rebuke or criticism (against China) would end," he said. (IANS)