China is accused of building military facilities on man-made islands in the South China Sea. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Chinese Defense Ministry has clarified that there is "no such thing" as man-made islands in the disputed waters of South China Sea, a Reuters article noted.
"There is no such thing as man-made islands. Most of the building is for civilian purposes, including necessary defensive facilities," spokesman Wu Qian remarked in his monthly news briefing.
The statement comes as the Chinese government reiterates that the ongoing South China Sea construction is intended mainly for civilian purposes.
China, which faces a territorial dispute with fellow Asian countries such as the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam on several Spratly Islands, has been carrying out land reclamation and construction in the region.
The infrastructure undertaking has covered the building of airports, harbors and other facilities. In some instances, the project has also involved dumping of huge amounts of sand on reefs in order to build up a land where the establishments will be constructed.
During his news briefing, Wu nonetheless emphasized that China has the rights for the South China Sea construction as the Spratly archipelago inherently belongs to the Chinese territory.
The spokesman added that generally, the situation in the South China Sea is stable. Countries outside the region are likely hyping things up to create tensions among the involved Asian nations.
Asked for further explanation about the man-made islands in the disputed waters, Wu remarked that China has already provided a detailed statement about the construction and land reclamation projects.
Recently, a U.S. think tank revealed that China has already finished a major military infrastructure construction on the artificial islands in the South China Sea. The report shared that with the said completion, China now has the capacity to deploy combat planes in the area.
China has been adamant in denying allegations about militarizing the lucrative maritime area. Yearly, around $5 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes through the South China Sea.
