BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China says it regrets comments from the Philippines that it has become impossible to continue discussions with China. Earlier, the Philippines said it has exhausted all political and diplomatic avenues for a peaceful solution to a territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying says China is dissatisfied with the refusal to continue diplomatic negotiations. She affirmed Beijing's opposition to the Philippines’ push for international arbitration. She said the Philippines’ illegal occupation of some of the islands and reefs of China’s Nansha Islands is the direct cause to the South China Sea dispute.

She reminded the Philippines that there are communication agreements between the two countries to solve disputes through negotiations. She voiced China’s regret that, in recent years, Manila has changed its approach in handling such issues, broken its commitments and aggravated the situation.

Hua said in April 2012, Philippine warships harassed Chinese fishing vessels off Huangyan Islands, casting a shadow on ties between the two nations. This was followed by the Philippines publicly criticizing China during the recent ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings. The criticism was rejected by China.

Hua Chunying says China remains committed to safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea. She urged the Philippines to do the same by reopening negotiation channels.

(Source: CNTV.cn)