A spokesman of the Chinese delegation attending the ASEAN Regional Forum foreign ministers' meeting?in Bali?Saturday refuted the accusation of the Philippines over the South China Sea issue.

When answering a question on Philippine Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario's accusation of China over the South China Sea issue on Saturday, Liu Weimin, spokesman of the Chinese delegation, said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi has thoroughly expounded China's stance on the issue at the meeting.

Facts prove that the Philippine side's remarks pertaining to the issue are totally groundless and will only complicate it, he said.

Liu said many delegates to the meeting hold the view that such remarks are not constructive and not conducive to the settlement of the South China Sea issue.

The oil- and gas-rich South China Sea is partially claimed by several Southeast Asian states, including the Philippines and Vietnam. However, China interprets history as giving it indisputable sovereignty over the sea's islands and their surrounding waters.

In 2002, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN) adopted the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the South China Sea, laying a political foundation for future commercial cooperation and long-term peace and stability in the region.