WASHINGTON -- The Chinese Embassy here on Saturday expressed its firm opposition to the comments in the US and Japan joint leaders' statement.

The United States and Japan issued a joint leaders' statement on Friday, saying that they are aiming for a free and open Indo-Pacific and expressed their concerns over the East China Sea, the South China Sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Those comments are an attempt to stoke division and build blocs against other countries, and have gone "far beyond the scope of normal development of bilateral relations," said a spokesperson of the Chinese embassy in the United States, adding that China expresses its strong concern over and firm opposition to those comments.

Noting that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang belong to China's internal affairs, and the East China Sea and the South China Sea concern China's territorial integrity and maritime rights and interests, the spokesperson said these matters bear on China's fundamental interests and allow no interference.

Those comments are "harmful to the interests of a third party, to mutual understanding and trust between regional countries, and to peace and stability of the Asia-Pacific," he added.

The scheme of the United States and Japan goes against the trend of the times and the will of people in the region, the spokesperson said, adding that though it is designed to undermine others, it will only end up hurting themselves.

China will firmly safeguard its national sovereignty, security and development interests, he noted.

In response to Japan's recent decision to discharge Fukushima radioactively contaminated water into the ocean, the spokesperson said that such a move poses a pressing challenge to the safety and security of the region.

"The decision is extremely irresponsible and will gravely damage the immediate interests of regional countries and peoples. It is also inappropriate for the US to acquiesce," said the spokesperson.