President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that China is not invading, refuting the claim of Philippine Court's Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio's comment of an "invasion of Philippine territory by China".
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Tuesday responded to questions regarding the matter at a daily press briefing in Beijing, saying that comments by individual Philippines are nothing more than attempts to stir up conflict between China and the Philippines.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying./ China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Photo
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying./ China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Photo
Hua reiterated that China is always committed to directly resolving international disputes through peaceful negotiations with concerned sovereign states.
China is willing to work with ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, to effectively and comprehensively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, Hua noted.