China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, through which it passes around $5 trillion in global trade.

BEIJING: China strongly deplores and firmly opposes the G7 allegations of the South China Sea and China's economic policies, and has lodged serious protests to the Canadian side, the Chinese Embassy

Foreign ministers of the G7 nations have condemned China's actions that have posed risks to regional stability, while expressing concern over efforts to restrict freedom of navigation and overflight through "force" and "coercion" in the South China Sea.

G7 foreign ministers took a tough stance on China on Friday, stepping up language on Taiwan and omitting some conciliatory references from past statements, including to "one China" policies.

China has responded harshly to allegations made by the G7, accusing it of endangering maritime safety. The G7 criticized China's actions in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, leading China to condemn the group's statement as arrogant and prejudiced.

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries have condemned China's aggressive maritime actions in the Indo-Pacific region."We condemn China's illicit, provocative, coercive and dangerous actions that seek unilaterally to alter the status quo in such a way as to risk undermining the stability of regions,