Chinese Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming has urged the Philippines to return to negotiations over the South China Sea issue. He also said some countries from outside the region should "stop playing with fire." The Chinese diplomat made the remarks in an article published by British newspaper, the Daily Telegraph.

Liu said China has responded with self-restraint to Manila's provocations and called for disputes to be shelved and for joint development, pending a resolution of the issue. But he said it appears the Philippines regards China's self-restraint as weakness, and filed for arbitration unilaterally to legitimize its illegal occupation of the Nansha Islands and reefs.

Liu also pointed out that territorial sovereignty was not within the scope of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Liu stressed that China's non-participation in the arbitration process was in accordance with international law.

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