China's Foreign Ministry has criticized U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for making what it says are “irresponsible” comments about China.

Romney said in a Wall Street Journal editorial this month that China is guilty of “abusive” practices in the areas of trade, intellectual property and currency valuation. He also criticized the Obama administration for policies that he says “reward China's cheating.”

When asked about the editorial, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said Monday that Romney should be more aware of the effect of his comments on U.S.-China relations.

“One can only be a responsible statesman if he is responsible regarding his words, and responsible regarding his deeds. Those irresponsible and groundless accusations are not even worth refuting.”

Romney, who seeks to represent the Republican Party in this year's presidential election, has repeatedly threatened to designate China as a currency manipulator and impose sanctions against it if he is elected.

Many in the U.S. and Europe accuse Beijing of intentionally keeping the value of its yuan currency low, giving its exporters an unfair advantage in international markets.

President Obama has accused China of “gaming” the global trading system, but has stopped short of calling for it to be officially labeled as a currency manipulator.

Other Republican candidates for president have also used tough language when speaking about China. China's state media have defended the country's policies, dismissing the criticism as politically motivated.