ISTANBUL

China urged the Philippines on Friday to give "unrealistic illusions" in the South China Sea, following a statement from Mania that said the disputed Scarborough Shoal and the Kalayaan Island Group are "integral parts of our archipelago."

"We urge the Philippine side to give up unrealistic illusions, and stop putting on self-staged farces at sea or orchestrating propaganda," Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said at a news conference, according to a statement.

The Philippines' Department of National Defense said Thursday on the US social media company, Facebook: "China's narrative that the Philippines is a 'late claimant,' which ignores centuries of legal history and is flatly contradicted by official maps and legal documents that predate the People's Republic of China itself."

"The scope of Philippine territories has been defined by a series of international treaties. China’s Huangyan Dao and Nansha Qundao are not within its scope," said Zhang.

Zhang added that China "will continue to take resolute measures to firmly safeguard our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."

China claims sovereignty over Huangyan Dao, a disputed territory with the Philippines that is also known as the Scarborough Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc.

The shoal has long been a flashpoint in maritime disputes between Beijing and Manila.

Zhang said that Washington "playing 'Taiwan card' is no different from playing with fire, and arming Taiwan is an extremely dangerous 'gambling' act and will surely pay a heavy price for it," at the news conference, regarding the US Senate recently passing a bill allocating $1 billion in military aid for Taiwan, as well as recommending its participation in the next Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) – the world’s largest international warfare exercise that is held biennially around Hawaii.