BEIJING, July 22 -- China on Monday urged the U.S. to stop stirring up trouble in regard to the issue of the South China Sea and to respect the regional countries' efforts to resolve disputes through dialogue.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang made the remarks in responding to a query concerning a statement issued Saturday by U.S. State Department saying it is concerned about reports of China's interference with oil and gas activities in the South China Sea, including Vietnam's long-standing exploration and production activities.

In the statement, the State Department also cited Secretary of State Michael Pompeo's comments earlier this year when he said China has blocked the development in the South China Sea through coercive means. U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton also said China threatens peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region by adopting coercive behavior.

"The current situation in the South China Sea is generally stable," Geng told a press briefing Monday, noting that under the framework of fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, China and ASEAN countries are actively promoting pragmatic maritime cooperation and consultation on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea to effectively safeguard peace and stability in the region.

At the same time, China has been maintaining dialogue and negotiation with concerned countries in the South China Sea to actively manage relevant disputes. The international community is fully aware of these facts, he said.

For a long time, some outside forces, including the U.S., have been making irresponsible remarks on the South China Sea issue, stirring up trouble, making mischief with evil intentions, the spokesperson said.

"Such behavior will only destabilize the situation in the South China Sea and undermine regional peace and stability," Geng said. "The remarks made by Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Bolton are completely void of the facts and are defamatory to the aspirations and efforts of China and ASEAN countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea and properly manage disputes. Countries and people in this region will not be fooled."

"We urge the U.S. side to stop this irresponsible behavior, respect the facts, respect the efforts of China and ASEAN countries to resolve disputes through dialogue, and play a positive role in maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea, not the other way around," he added.