BEIJING, March 23 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday slammed the United States for being behind the South China Sea arbitration initiated by the Philippines following remarks by a senior U.S. diplomat that an upcoming ruling on the case would be a critical moment for the "rules-based" future of the region.
"As Foreign Minister Wang Yi has said, the Philippines' action of forwarding the arbitration case is unlawful, unfaithful, and unreasonable," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said at a daily press briefing.
"Its stubbornness is clearly the result of behind-the-scenes instigation and political maneuvering. China is surely not going to humor such a political farce," Hua said.
Daniel Russel, top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, commented recently that the upcoming ruling by an international tribunal on the arbitration case brought by the Philippines would be a critical moment for the "rules-based" future of the region.
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