BEIJING: China has dismissed Vietnam's sovereignty claim on the disputed islands in the South China Sea, saying it is "illegal and invalid" and Beijing "will never accept such claim."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comment later yesterday after Vietnam's foreign ministry said Hanoi held sovereignty over the Spraley and Paracel islands which China calls Nansha and Xisha islands.

Vietnam objected to China's stance of the nine-dash line claiming most part of the South China Sea.

Vietnam stated its position to the Arbitral Tribunal on the South China Sea Arbitration initiated by the Philippines under the UN Convention on Law of Seas (UNCLOS).

China refused to join the arbitration, saying the dispute should be resolved directly by the parties concerned.

The tribunal has given time till December 15 for China to respond to Philippines petition.

While Philippines took the dispute to international arbitration, China-Vietnam had a major crisis in May this year when Beijing pressed in an oil rig in the disputed islands leading to anti-China riots in Vietnam in which two Chinese workers were killed and over a 100 injured.

China pulled out over 7000 workers from Vietnam for safety. Later, the two countries patched up and agreed to normalise the relations with high level visits.

Hong said China holds indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and the surrounding waters while the Xisha Islands have been China's inherent territory, without any dispute on this.

In 1948, the Chinese government published an official map that displayed the dotted line in the South China Sea.

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China refutes Vietnam's claims over islands in South China Sea