The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Tuesday blasted the United States for "meddling" in the South China Sea issue.
In a statement, the Embassy accused the US of attempting to "stir up troubles and drive a wedge between China and the Philippines."
"The statement on the South China Sea by the spokesperson of the US Department of State on December 19th contains unfounded accusations against China that attempt to stir up troubles and drive a wedge between China and the Philippines," the Embassy said.
Earlier, US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price called on China to recognize the arbitral ruling of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea amid reports of Chinese vessels swarming in the West Philippine Sea.
The Embassy, however, did not specify which contains "unfounded accusations" from Price's statement.
"Over the past few years, with the joint efforts of all parties concerned, the South China Sea situation has maintained overall stability," the Embassy said.
Separated by only a strip of water, Beijing said that "China and the Philippines belong to the Asian family and have stayed friends for thousands of years," stressing that it is "only natural for neighbors to have differences".
"The two countries share the Asian wisdom of settling differences through dialogue and consultation. Under the strategic guidance of our two heads of state, China and the Philippines have agreed to place South China Sea disputes at a proper place in the bilateral relations and manage them properly through dialogue and consultation," it said.
China insisted that the situation in the South China Sea should be solved by the claimants themselves.
"That said, as the Chinese proverb goes, 'the sea desires calmness but the waves keep rolling.' The US keeps meddling in the South China Sea disputes and trying to drive wedges between countries in the region, creating tensions and harming regional peace and stability," it said.
"What the US has done is not to help anyone but to serve its own geopolitical interests," it added.
The Embassy noted that China's stand on the South China Sea issue is "consistent and clear-cut."
"The Chinese and Philippine peoples have the will and capability to properly handle maritime disputes through friendly consultation, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea," it said.
"We urge the US to stop using the South China Sea issue to stir up troubles, sow discord between China and the Philippines and undermine stability in the South China Sea," it added.
In an earlier statement, Price said Washington is behind Manila in asserting its right over the South China Sea under the 2016 ruling of a Hague-based arbitral tribunal which favored the Philippines against Beijing's nine-dash line claim.
Likewise, he lambasted China for not "interfering" with the livelihood of Filipino fisherfolks in the West Philippine Sea but also for its continuous "disregard" for the claims of other nations in the South China Sea.
"The reported escalating swarms of PRC vessels in the vicinity of Iroquois Reef and Sabina Shoal in the Spratly Islands interfere with the livelihoods of Philippine fishing communities, and also reflect continuing disregard for other South China Sea claimants and states lawfully operating in the region," he said.