SINGAPORE: When Japan’s defense minister greeted the deputy chief of staff of China’s army at a regional security forum this weekend, he was undiplomatically snubbed.

Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong said he was incensed by comments from Japananese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe implicitly holding China responsible for territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas and later by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s accusations that Beijing was destabilizing the region.

“When Mr Abe spoke just now, there was veiled criticism targeted at China,” Wang told Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, according to the semi-official China News Service. “These accusations are wrong and go against the standards of international relations.”

The exchange between the world’s three biggest economies at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, a security forum for government officials, military officers and defense experts, were among the most caustic in years at diplomatic gatherings, and could be a setback to efforts to bring ties back on track.

It was the first such major conference since tensions have surged in the South China Sea, one of Asia’s most intractable disputes and a possible flashpoint for conflict. Tellingly, despite around 100 bilateral and trilateral meetings taking place over the week, officials from China and Japan did not sit down together.

China’s Wang had rejected an offer of talks with Japan and said: “This will hinge on whether the Japanese side is willing to amend the erroneous policy toward China and improve relations between China and Japan.