Beijing, China - Officials in Beijing on Friday condemned the US for having a "Cold War mentality" in Latin America, after Secretary of State Marco Rubio made comments about the Panama Canal during a visit to the region.

"When we turned over the canal, we turned it over the Panama. We didn't turn it over to China," Rubio told reporters as he wrapped up his five-country visit to Latin America this week.

Chief among Rubio's supposed successes in the region was the decision by Panama to withdraw from the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), as the Trump administration has blasted alleged Chinese influence over the canal.

The claim, along with recent agreements between the US and Panama and other Latin American countries, triggered an angry response from Beijing, which called out the US' "Cold War mentality" as threatening stability.

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Beijing said Rubio's remarks "unjustly accuse China" and "deliberately sow discord between China and relevant Latin American countries."

According to an unnamed spokesperson, China has "lodged a solemn representation with the US side" over actions taken in Panama to interfere with Chinese foreign policy.

"China firmly opposes the U.S. smear and sabotage of Belt and Road cooperation through the means of pressuring and coercion, and deeply regrets Panama’s decision," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Friday.

"In recent years, China and Panama’s cooperation under the BRI has produced fruitful outcomes and continued to deliver tangibly for the two peoples," Lin continued.

"We hope that Panama will make the right decision based on the overall situation of bilateral relations and the long-term interests of the two peoples, and eliminate external interference."