BEIJING, China: Beijing issued a stern warning to the United States and Japan on Monday, urging them to 'stop creating imaginary enemies' after the two nations criticized China's actions in the South China Sea during talks in Tokyo.

'We strongly urge the US and Japan to immediately stop interfering in China’s internal affairs and stop creating imaginary enemies,' stated foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian.

The warning followed a meeting in the Japanese capital on Sunday, where the US and Japan condemned China's 'destabilizing actions' in the South China Sea and criticized Russia’s growing military cooperation with China and North Korea.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and their Japanese counterparts expressed their strong objections to China's 'unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and threatening and provocative activities in the South China Sea,' according to a joint statement, which used an acronym for China.

The statement elaborated on China's 'destabilizing actions in the region,' citing unsafe encounters at sea and in the air, disruptions to other countries' offshore resource exploitation, and the dangerous use of Coast Guard and maritime militia vessels.

The joint communique claimed that China is escalating efforts to unilaterally alter the status quo in the East China Sea through force or coercion. It also alleged that China's foreign policy seeks to reshape the international order for its own advantage, to the detriment of other nations.

In response, Lin stated on Monday that the joint statement 'disregards facts, mixes up right and wrong, and maliciously attacks China's foreign policy.' He added that the communique 'crudely meddles in China’s internal affairs, maliciously attacks and smears China on maritime issues, makes thoughtless remarks on China’s normal military development and defense policy, exaggerates and kicks up a fuss about the China threat, and maliciously hypes up regional tensions.'