The Chinese ambassador to Rwanda Pan Hejun has referred to the ruling on the South China Sea as "unlawful” and "illegal.”

The envoy called a press conference Thursday to react to the ruling that was in favour of the Philippines.

The ruling was delivered by the Permanent Court Of Arbitration, an international tribunal based in The Hague, The Netherlands.

"Although Chinese navigators and fishermen, as well as those of other states, had historically made use of the islands in the South China Sea, there is no evidence that China had historically exercised exclusive control over the waters or their resources and therefore there is no legal basis for China to claim historic rights to resources within these sea areas,” the ruling read.

The case, that has been ongoing since 2013 centers around a dispute concerning territory and sovereignty over ocean areas, and the Paracels and the Spratlys - two island chains claimed in whole or in part by a number of countries.

Speaking at the press conference held at the Chinese embassy in Kigali, Amb. Pan Hejun said that China will neither accept nor recognise the ruling.

"These islands belong to China though they are illegally occupied by some people from the Philippines,” he said.

According to envoy, 66 countries support China and his country will protect this territory since it belongs to Chinese people.

He however ruled out any possibility of war.

"Don’t think there will be war. There will be peaceful negotiations. The government of China is dedicated to respect free navigation and free flight in the area. Nobody is interested in sabotaging peace.

"China’s position is this: We want to sit down and resolve the dispute peacefully,” he said, adding that China has solved many territorial disputes peacefully, citing examples of disputes they solved with Russia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Afghanistan.

The Tribunal also said that China had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights in its exclusive economic zone by interfering with Philippine fishing and petroleum exploration, constructing artificial islands and failing to prevent Chinese fishermen from fishing in the zone.

Meanwhile, the Philippines foreign affairs secretary, Perfecto Yasay welcomed the ruling and called for "restraint and sobriety”.

The US State Department called on both parties to comply with their obligations, according to a statement from spokesman John Kirby.

Beijing claims 90 percent of the South China Sea, a maritime region believed to hold a wealth of untapped oil and gas reserves and through which roughly $4.5tn of ship-borne trade passes every year.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also contest China’s claims to islands and reef systems closer to their territory than Beijing’s.