China is telling the Philippines to stop harming its rights and interests by complaining about Chinese activities in the South China Sea.

At a foreign ministry briefing Tuesday, spokesman Hong Lei said the Philippine government should stop publishing “irresponsible statements” that do not match the facts. He added that Chinese vessels were carrying out scientific studies in waters under Chinese jurisdiction and acting in line with the law.

Hong was responding to a Philippine statement Saturday complaining that Chinese vessels were hampering legitimate activities by Philippine fishermen, undermining the peace and stability of the region.

The Philippines complained last week that Chinese ships had offloaded building materials and erected marker posts on reefs to the west of its island of Palawan, well within Manila's exclusive economic zone.

Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said in a commentary article published Tuesday that the action “aggressively violated” a 2002 agreement between China and its Southeast Asian neighbors governing conduct in the South China Sea.