China calls on the Philippines to drop its South China Sea lawsuit.

China yesterday urged the Philippines to abandon its efforts to resolve the South China Sea dispute in an international court and instead negotiate directly with Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying. Photo: Presstv

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying reiterated yesterday China's opposition to the tribunal and said that the country "will never accept unilateral attempts to rely on a third party to resolve disputes." Hua then called for resolving disputes through negotiation and consultation.

The Philippines has requested the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) of the United Nations in The Hague, Netherlands, to rule on China's claim of sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea. Manila asserts that Beijing is trampling on the rights of other countries. However, China says the court lacks jurisdiction and refuses to participate.

The PCA began hearing the Philippines' arguments on July 7th to determine whether it has jurisdiction to hear the case. The week-long hearing concluded on July 13th.

The tribunal operating under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea said Beijing has until August 17 to respond to the tribunal and that it will issue a ruling later this year.

Philippine Foreign Ministry spokesman Charles Jose said they "have been very well prepared for the case from the beginning," VOA quoted him as saying. "We are cautiously optimistic and we firmly believe the court has jurisdiction over the case."

According to VnExpress