China said on Tuesday, Sept. 3, that it is Japan that is causing trouble in the South China Sea as it defends the Philippines’ fight for sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila made another tirade against its Japanese counterpart—this time questioning Tokyo's assertion of international law.

The embassy cited Japan's supposed illegal claim over the 700,000 square kilometers of sea area near the Oki-no-Tori reef, which it said is just a stand-alone rock in the west Pacific Ocean.

"Japan cites the so-called South China Sea arbitration to challenge China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea," it said.

"They are so unaffected by the true spirit of rule of law that international laws and rules, in their opinion, are only applicable when deemed desirable," it added.

The embassy said that that only "shows how discretionary Japan all along is about international laws."

Japan's supposed selected assertion of international law and the arbitral award, which Japan is citing as final and executory, are only "mere tools of political manipulation by certain countries, and thus in no way represent the international law."

"China’s non-acceptance of this illegal award is a true act in upholding sanctity of the international rule of law," the embassy said.

Therefore, China's embassy in Manila said it is worth pointing out "Japan’s exploitation of disputes between China and neighboring countries under the pretext of 'rules.'"

"Their true intention is to cause trouble in the South China Sea, disrupt stability in China’s neighborhood and in turn to contain China," it added.

On Aug. 30, Japan hit back at China after it questioned Japanese Ambassador in Manila Endo Kazuya's move to defend the Philippines from the Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

Japan said that its concern regarding developments in the South China Sea is a valid concern as it is directly related to the peace and stability of the region.

"As a stakeholder that makes use of the South China Sea, the issue is also an important matter of interest for Japan, which depends on sea transport for most of its resources and energy," the Japanese Embassy in Manila said.

Prior to this, China expressed displeasure at Endo's defense as it said that "whenever incidents occur in the South China Sea, the Japanese ambassador always does not fail to give instant high-profile responses."

It said that Endo's responses were supposedly "in ignorance of the facts and contained unwarranted accusations against China."

"We can’t help but ask, does he not need some time to understand the facts and truth of the incidents, even if he were a 'judge' or 'arbitrator' of some sort?" the embassy asked in a statement.