Ten years ago, a South China Sea arbitration case initiated by the Philippines issued an award denying China's long-standing historic rights in the South China Sea. China has urged the Philippines to stop baseless allegations on the South China Sea issue. It says accusations and smears by other countries against China on the South China Sea issue are groundless and unacceptable. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the award of the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration is illegal and harms the interests of countries in the region, including the Philippines.