'No reason' to delve into ruling at summit

The South China Sea issue should not be dragged into a major summit between Asian and European leaders in Mongolia, a senior Chinese diplomat said on Monday in Beijing.

The 11th Asia-Europe Meeting, or ASEM summit, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, is not an appropriate venue to discuss the issue, which has no direct link to the meeting, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Kong Xuanyou told a news conference.

"It is a false argument to claim that the South China Sea situation has affected regional stability," Kong said, one day ahead of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague's scheduled release of a ruling regarding the South China Sea disputes.