Beijing responded furiously yesterday to a statement by the Group of Seven foreign ministers opposing “provocative actions” in the South China Sea, accusing the bloc of having been taken hostage by “certain countries”.

In toughly worded remarks after the ministers’ summit in ­Hiroshima, Japan, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the G7 should not be swayed by some countries’ “selfish interests”, and that the South China Sea disputes were being “hyped”.

… “[The G7 countries] intend to use the statement to contain China’s actions in the South China Sea and also to pressure China into accepting the arbitration,” said Li Mingjiang, associate professor at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies of Nanyang Technological University.