China's Ministry of Defense on Thursday urged the Philippines to immediately stop provocative actions in the South China Sea after Philippine vessels intruded into China's territorial waters earlier this month.

Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang made the remarks in response to a media query regarding the incident in which over 10 Philippine public vessels illegally entered the waters of China's Huangyan Dao before being expelled by the China Coast Guard.

Zhang stressed that Huangyan Dao is China's inherent territory. It lies beyond the limits of Philippine territory, as defined by a series of international treaties.

The Philippine side has repeatedly conducted provocative actions that infringed upon China's sovereignty and created tensions in the South China Sea, he said, adding that it is a real troublemaker and a saboteur to peace. "We warn the Philippine side to immediately stop any provocative acts before it's too late," he said.

China will continue to take resolute measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, Zhang said.