China vows to keep building on reefs in South China Sea as lighthouses are completed

From InterAksyon (Oct 10): China vows to keep building on reefs in South China Sea as lighthouses are completed



China on Saturday vowed to continue building in disputed reefs of the South China Sea, as state media said construction had finished on two lighthouses on reefs claimed by other countries.

Beijing has been bolstering its claim to almost all the South China Sea by rapidly building large artificial structures resembling islands, straining ties with neighbours.

The lighthouses on Cuateron Reef and Johnson South Reef in the Spratly islands have been officially opened, the state-run Xinhua news agency said late Friday.

China established control of the Johnson South Reef after a skirmish with Vietnam in 1988. The Philippines claims both reefs as part of its territory.

The lighthouses are 50 meters high, Xinhua said. State television grave prominence to images of the white-structures standing above blue waters.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in an online statement that they would improve "safety of navigation" for ships.

"Next, China will continue to build other civil facilities on occupied islands reefs in the Nansha Islands," she added using China's name for the Spratlys.

China's building has increased tensions with Washington, which has condemned the structures.

Hua's statement came after reports said that the US would send navy ships close to the islands built by China, testing whether Beijing will defend them.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- all members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- claim parts of the sea, while Taiwan is a sixth claimant.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said China will not militarize its newly-built structures in the Sea, but satellite images show it has constructed runways capable of use by air force jets.

China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year, and the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.

China said on Friday it would not stand for violations of its territorial waters in the name of freedom of navigation, as the United States considers sailing warships to waters inside the 12-nautical-mile zones around islands it has built in the Spratly chain.

Washington has signaled it does not recognize Beijing's sovereignty over the several islands China has built on reefs in the Spratly archipelago and says the US navy will continue to operate wherever international law allows.

The issue is central to increasingly tense relations between the United States and China, the world's two largest economies.

Beijing has said construction in the region is to help maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigational security. It has also said it will continue to build other installations to better serve countries in the region and vessels navigating those waters.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/118716/china-vows-to-keep-building-on-reefs-in-south-china-sea-as-lighthouses-are-completed