China has the right to set up an air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea, depending on the threat it faces, Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said Wednesday as the government issued a white paper calling on the Philippines to settle the maritime territorial disputes with China through negotiations.

The white paper, "China Adheres to the Position of Settling through Negotiations the Relevant Disputes Between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea," was released by the State Council Information Office at a press conference a day after an arbitration tribunal in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippines.

When asked whether China will beef up military facilities or set up an ADIZ in the South China Sea, Liu said China has the right to set up such a zone, just as it did in the East China Sea.

"If our security is under threat, of course we have the right to set up an ADIZ," Liu told the media. "It depends on our comprehensive judgment."

China established an ADIZ in the East China Sea in late 2013 at the height of tensions with Japan over the disputed Diaoyu Islands.

"We hope the other countries will not take this opportunity to threaten China, and hope they can work with China to maintain peace and stability of the South China Sea, and not turn it into a source of war," he said.

Return to talks

China immediately responded on Tuesday following the arbitration tribunal's decision, saying it would refuse to accept any claims or activities based on the ruling.

The white paper stressed that the Philippines' territorial claim over part of the Nansha Islands is "groundless from the perspective of history or international law."

"The core of the disputes … lies in the territorial issues caused by the Philippines' invasion and illegal occupation of some islands and reefs of China's Nansha Islands," it said.

The document said China and the Philippines had previously held multiple rounds of consultations and had reached a consensus on resolving disputes through negotiations. But the Philippines still resorted to international arbitration in 2013.

"The Philippines' unilateral initiation of arbitration is an act of bad faith," the paper said.

Liu reiterated China's position on Wednesday that China will trash the arbitral ruling and go back to bilateral negotiations with the Philippines.

"The eventual result will still be coming back to the tracks of negotiations. China hopes to return to bilateral negotiations with the Philippines," he said.

The Philippines has not reacted out to China's call for bilateral negotiations, except for a call late Tuesday for "restraint and sobriety."

Liu also slammed The Hague court's panel of judges for having no members from Asia.

One of the lawyers who argued the Philippines' case, former solicitor general Florin Ternal Hilbay, said it is hard to tell when the country would enforce the court decision.

"I would assume our diplomats have read the decision and understand the complexities and consequences of enforcing the decision," Reuters quoted him as saying.