China on Monday urged Japan not to obstruct efforts made by China and southeast Asian nations to maintain peace on the South China Sea situation.
"We noticed that Japan recently has been hyping the tense situation on the South China Sea, kidnapping and instigating relations between regional countries, and obstructing efforts made by China and southeast Asian nations to maintain peace on the South China Sea," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying at a daily press briefing.
Hua made the remarks while commenting on a joint document issued by the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit on July 4 that voiced concern over the South China Sea situation.
"Japan is not involved in the South China sea territorial disputes. It should abide by its commitment of taking no position," Hua said.
She urged Japan to stop hyping the South China Sea issue and maintain regional peace and stability with concrete actions.
Hua added that the general situation of the South China Sea was stable with joint efforts from China and relevant countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). There is no impact on the sailing and overflight freedom of all countries, in accordance with the international laws.