BEIJING, March 8  -- China is acting fully in line with law while not accepting the South China Sea arbitration filed by the Philippines, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday.

China in 2006 exercised its right under the Article 298 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and made a declaration that excludes compulsory arbitration, said Wang at a press conference on the sidelines of the national legislature's annual session.

By not accepting the arbitration case, the Chinese government is acting entirely in accordance with law, while the Philippines' act is unlawful, unfaithful and unreasonable, he said.

The Philippines' stubbornness is clearly the result of behind-the-scene instigation and political manipulation, he added.