[HIGHLIGHTS] Beijing, our actions in the South China Sea are legitimate

Beijing has harshly criticized the United States, Japan and the Philippines. US President Joe Biden hosted a summit between the three countries in Washington.

"China firmly opposes relevant countries manipulating the bloc's policy," said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning. The three countries have been at odds over the South China Sea since the 1990s. The U.S. and Japan are the biggest contributors to the South Chinese Sea dispute, with the Philippines and China the biggest emitters of COFCO. The United States is the only country in the region that does not have a naval base in the area, according to the U.N. Security Council. The Philippines has a base in Scarborough Shoal, which is claimed by both China and Japan, but is not part of the S. China Sea dispute. The region has been the source of tension between the two countries since the early 1990s, when China began to claim territory in the sea. The dispute has been at the center of a diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing since then.