China's Foreign Minister said on Monday that the international tensions over the disputed South China Sea should be toned down.
Earlier this month, the United Nations-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague, ruled out Beijing's vast claims in the South China Sea and handed an emphatic legal victory to Philippines in the maritime dispute.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Reuters that the court ruling was built on insubstantial legal grounds.
He said the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) members also supported China's views to resolve the conflicts bilaterally.
In order to come to a solution, ASEAN backed plans for Philippines and China to hold meetings on their dispute.
"The page had now been turned" on the issue after the tension caused by the court ruling," Wang said.
He also added that the relationship between ASEAN and China "should not be defined by the maritime issues".
