Wang, who is on a visit to Malaysia as part of a short Southeast Asian tour, did not elaborate.

During a joint a news conference, Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said disputes over the South China Sea should be resolved peacefully through regional dialogue, Reuters reported.

China, which has for years been locked in maritime disputes with other coastal states in the South China Sea, has in recent months held military exercises in disputed parts of the strategic waterway, while Washington has accused China of attempting to build a “maritime empire” in the area.

According to the ministry’s spokesperson Zhao Lijian, the US move was aimed to drive a wedge between the two countries.

Beijing’s statement comes in response to the US naval exercise in the disputed waters involving two aircraft carriers – the Nimitz and the Reagan. According to the US navy, the manoeuvres will send an unambiguous message to the US allies regarding Washington’s commitment to “security and stability” in the region, Sputnik reported.

The United States previously voiced concerns about Beijing’s military exercises in the sea around the Paracel Islands. The Pentagon warned that the move would further destabilize the situation in the South China Sea and violate an international pact to avoid activities that would escalate disputes in the region.

The majority of islands in the South China Sea are controlled by Beijing; however, the territory is also claimed by several other countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Brunei, and the Philippines – all members of ASEAN.

The USS Ronald Reagan and USS Nimitz are set to hold some of the US Navy’s largest exercises in recent years in the South China Sea from Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The move came after China rebuked US accusations that China’s military drill destabilizes the situation in the region on Friday.

In response to US Defense Department’s “concerns” over China’s military drills in the region, the Chinese Foreign Ministry asserted that holding military drills in the South China Sea is within the country’s sovereignty and reasonable, CGTN reported.

“Some countries outside the region often travel thousands of miles to the South China Sea to engage in large-scale military activities, and show off their power, which is the fundamental reason that affects the stability in the South China Sea,” said Zhao Lijian, a spokesperson of the ministry.