Washington DC - The US led a group of regional countries in calling China's actions during a dispute over the Panama Canal a "threat," prompting backlash from Beijing on Wednesday.

The US, along with Costa Rica, Guyana, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago said China was engaged in "a blatant attempt to politicize maritime trade and infringe on the sovereignty of the nations of our hemisphere."

"Panama is a pillar of our maritime trading system, and as such must remain free from any undue external pressure," the US State Department said in the joint statement shared by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"Any attempts to undermine Panama's sovereignty are a threat to us all," the statement continued. "We stand in solidarity with Panama."

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The US and China have repeatedly accused each other of seeking to control the Panama Canal, a vital trade link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

President Donald Trump returned to office last year vowing to seize back US control of the canal, which was handed over in a deal reached by former president Jimmy Carter in 1977.

To appease the Republican, Panama in January took control of two Chinese-controlled ports.

Since then, the US accused China of detaining two Panama-flagged ships as retribution.

China's foreign ministry called the joint statement a "smear" and said the US was "politicizing and over-securitizing the port issue."

"It is the United States that is hypocritically posturing and spreading rumors and smears everywhere," a spokesperson said.