China on Thursday defended the legitimacy of not accepting and participating in the South China Sea arbitration case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines, calling Manila's claim that it had exhausted all bilateral means a "lie."

"The Philippines has never negotiated with China on any item in the arbitration. 'Exhausting all bilateral means' is a lie cooked up by the Philippines," Hong Lei, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a press briefing on Thursday, stressing that China's non-acceptance and non-participation in the arbitration case is consistent with law.

As early as 2006, China had released a statement on excluding compulsory arbitration as provided in Article 298 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Hong said.

The two countries have agreed to solve the South China Sea disputes through negotiations as defined in bilateral and multilateral documents, according to Hong. "The door for negotiations is always open to the Philippines," he said.

A ruling on a case filed by the Philippines before the International Court of Arbitration at The Hague on its dispute with China over the South China Sea is expected by June, whose results could further complicate the issue, observers said in previous interviews with the Global Times.

"The arbitration case initiated by the Philippines, from the very beginning, is illegal and unjustifiable. Its true intention is to politically confront China under the cloak of law," Hong said, and voiced "firm opposition to a certain country's plot to hijack international law for its own selfish gains."

"The issue of the South China Sea is being ramped up by those in the US and the UK who accuse China of causing tensions in the region. They proclaim the principle of free navigation and over-flight but in reality their prejudice and partiality will only increase tensions," Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to Britain, wrote in an article to the Times published Wednesday. "The world will see clearly who is making trouble in the South China Sea. These nations should desist from meddling and muddling. Such actions pose a threat to regional stability and world peace," he said.