BEIJING, Nov 23 (Reuters) - China hopes the G20 group would maintain its longstanding position against protectionism, said China's Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun on Friday.

China is hoping the G20 would be the driving force for the global economy as it faces downward pressure, Zhang said at a press conference in Beijing ahead of the G20 summit in Argentina at end-November.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao Writing by Ryan Woo Editing by Shri Navaratnam)