China slams Philippines' South China Sea court application

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei on Wednesday urged the Philippines to stop wrongdoing on the South China Sea dispute.

According to media reports, the Philippines will formally submit the dispute to the international court of justice in the coming days.

Hong told a routine press briefing that China will neither accept the unilateral action of the Philippines nor be present in the international arbitration.

China's stance is in line with the international law, he said.

Hong urged the Philippines to be fully aware of the complexity and sensitivity of the South China Sea dispute and come back to the right track of negotiations and consultations as soon as possible so as to avoid further harming bilateral relations.

China's determination to safeguard sovereignty and territorial integrity is unswerving, the spokesman added.