Earlier in the day, during his speech to US lawmakers, Kishida said that China presents a strategic challenge to global peace and stability.
"China has all along been a builder of world peace, a contributor to global development and a promoter of international order," Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Sputnik. "We are committed to peace, stability and enduring prosperity of the Asia-Pacific. We oppose rhetoric that smears China's international image."
On Thursday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is on an official state visit in Washington this week, said during a speech to US lawmakers that China presents a strategic challenge to global stability.
Earlier this week, the Chinese Embassy highlighted that US plans to deploy a mid-range missile system in the Asia-Pacific by the end of this year will undermine regional stability.
This planned deployment of a mid-range missile system in the Asia-Pacific would be the first of its kind since the United States and Russia agreed to the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 1987, which is now defunct after both countries withdrew from the treaty in 2019.