China has hit back at Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio over his keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

He Lei, who is part of Beijing's delegation at the summit, criticized the Japanese leader for implying that China is breaking rules and using force to change the status quo.

He, a former vice president of the Academy of Military Science, said Beijing would completely object if a national leader were to publicly offend China's sovereignty and core interests.