Full coverage: The South China Sea Issue

BEIJING, July 12 (Xinhua) -- China is strongly displeased with a press statement issued by the Spokesperson of the U.S. State Department on Tuesday on the award issued by the South China Sea arbitration tribunal unilaterally initiated by the former Philippine government.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement that China is firmly opposed to the U.S. statement and has lodged solemn representations with the U.S. side.

The U.S. statement turned a blind eye to the facts and endorsed an award that is illegal and invalid, Lu said, stressing the U.S. act went against the spirit of rule of law as well as the basic norms of international law and international relations.

The U.S. statement also went against its declaration of not taking sides on issues concerning territorial disputes, he added.

Lu said that the U.S. side is always selective when it comes to the application of international law: citing international law when it sees fit and discarding international law when it sees otherwise.

"It keeps urging others to abide by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) while refusing to ratify the convention to this day. What makes the United States think that it is in a position to make all these irresponsible remarks against others? " said Lu.

He urged the U.S. side to think over its words and deeds, stop fanning fires for the illegal arbitration and meddling up the South China Sea, and put an end to undermining China's sovereignty and security interests and escalating regional tensions.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. State Department said that the award was binding on both parties and that the U.S. expected China and the Philippines both to comply with their obligations under it, said an AP report.