China's Foreign Ministry expressed its furious over the remarks of Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida on the South China Sea during his tour that took him to three Southeast Asian states.

“China and ASEAN have reached consensus on the South China Sea issue, which is that specific disputes should be resolved through negotiation and consultation by countries directly concerned according to Article 4 of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and China and ASEAN countries should jointly maintain peace and stability of the South China Sea,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei said.

“Upon verification, remarks made by the Japanese foreign minister in his visit are totally untrue and are mostly made up by himself. Japan is not a party concerned to the South China Sea with a disgraceful past in this region during the Second World War. It is not in a position to make carping comments on the South China Sea issue. We advise the Japanese side to watch its words and actions, and not do things that jeopardize peace and stability of the South China Sea,” he added.

China claims almost all of the energy-rich South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade passes each year. The Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia and Taiwan have overlapping claims.

Source: MENA