The Chinese Embassy in Manila hit on the United States for trying to "stir up troubles and drive a wedge" between China and the Philippines.
This comes after the US State Department called on China to "respect the international law of the sea in the South China Sea, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and its legal obligations pursuant to the 2016 arbitral ruling."
"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," the embassy said in a statement.
"We strongly deplore and firmly oppose this," it added.
According to the embassy, the South China Sea situation has remained stable due to the efforts of all parties involved.
"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 noted.
Over the past few weeks, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported several sightings of Chinese militia vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
On December 16, the Philippines filed a diplomatic protest against China after the Philippine Navy retrieved rocket debris in WPS that was "forcefully" seized by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel.
During her state visit to the country last month, US Vice President Kamala Harris vowed that Washington will stand by the Philippines in the face of intimidation and coercion in the South China Sea
