Liu Jinsong, China’s director-general of Asian affairs at the Chinese foreign ministry, lodged a complaint to Japan over comments made by the US and Japan over what they called Beijing’s “provocative” behaviour in the South and East China Seas, its joint military exercises with Russia, and the rapid expansion of China’s nuclear weapons arsenal.

“China urges Japan to establish an objective and rational understanding of China, and stop making irresponsible remarks about China’s internal affairs,” Liu said to the chief minister at the Japanese embassy in China on Tuesday, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Liu met with Yokochi Akira to talk about the “negative words” made about China during several discussions at recent diplomatic meetings, noting “many fallacies, dangerous trends, and false narratives” in meeting documents.

In security discussions between the US and Japan this past Sunday, both countries labelled China the “greatest strategic challenge, facing the region”.

Other remarks about China came up during separate discussions and meetings, and a joint statement between foreign ministers from Australia, India, Japan and the US in which they stressed serious concerns about intimidating and dangerous manoeuvres in the South China Sea, targeting China as the main culprit.

Liu pointed out that Japan’s smear attacks on China contradict its statement on promoting the strategic and mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries.

He urged Japan to “stop colluding with certain countries to create confrontation in “small circles”, and work with China in the same direction.”