BEIJING, April 29. /TASS/. Russia and China are committed to the principle of the settlement of territorial disputes in the South China Sea by means of peaceful negotiations and consultations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said at a joint news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Chinese capital on Friday.

"We are of the same view with Minister Lavrov that the disputes around the South China Sea should be settled peacefully through negotiations among the directly involved countries," Wang Yi said.

"The international community, first of all the countries outside the South China Sea water area, should play a constructive role for ensuring the region’s stability, and not to destabilize the situation," said the Chinese foreign minister.

Sergey Lavrov said for his part after a meeting with Wang Yi that external players should not interfere in the settlement of the dispute over ownership of island in the South China Sea. "We discussed the situation in the South China Sea. The Russian stance is invariable - these problems should not be internationalized - none of the external players should try to interfere in their settlement efforts," he said.