China warned countries around the South China Sea to be skeptical of America’s  “geopolitical self-interest” and accused the United States of stoking tensions in the region at a weekend global security conference.

The warning from China’s Foreign Ministry was in response to claims by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive actions” in the contested waters, a reference to Beijing and its territorial disputes with Manila, South China Morning Post reported.