Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

 

　　"Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing had an appointment with officials from the Philippines' Foreign Ministry on Tuesday and returned a note and related notice after expressing China's rejection."

 

　　Hong Lei also said the note and related notice were factually flawed and contain false accusations as well as violating the consensus enshrined in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

 

　　Hong stressed China's position on the dispute through bilateral talks:

 

　　"China hopes the Philippines will honor its commitment by not taking any action that could complicate the issue, positively respond to China's proposal to establish a bilateral dialogue mechanism on maritime issues and work to solve the issue through bilateral negotiations."

 

　　Hong also reiterated that China has sufficient evidence to support its claim to the Nansha islands in the South China Sea.