Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Tuesday that outsider countries should support efforts to safeguard peace and stability in South China Seainstead of doing the opposite.

Those countries directly concerned have been back "on the right track" to resolve the South China Sea issue through dialogue and consultation, Wang told a press conference after the fourth round of China-Australia diplomatic and strategic dialogue.

"So in this sense, we have attached great importance to the recent statement made by U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, stressing diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over South China Sea," said Wang.

"It's not only the position taken by China and the ASEANcountries, but also a right choice for outsider countries," he added.

When asked what the message China would like to send to the United Statesover the South China Sea issue, Wang suggested that the United States review the Word War II history.

"It's with the aid of the United States that the Chinese government of that day recovered the Nansha Islands in 1946 publicly and legally," he said.

Wang said China will always adhere to a peaceful approach, based on historical facts and international law, to resolve the South China Sea issue through dialogue and consultation with the directly concerned countries.