Beijing won't recognize 'illegal' rulings, envoy says

China will neither recognize nor implement the ruling in the arbitration unilaterally initiated by the Philippines on the South China Sea issue or in any similar arbitration cases, as they are illegal and not based on historical fact, a top Chinese diplomat said.

"I've always regarded this arbitration as poison," said Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom Liu Xiaoming said at a news briefing in London on Tuesday.

He said China has always respected international law; however, the ruling violated the basic purpose of UNCLOS, caused further tensions between countries and denied the use of diplomatic channels for negotiations.