Beijing has defended ongoing land-reclamation activities in the contested Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, stating they are aimed at improving living conditions and boosting the local economy.
“The Xisha Islands are an inherent part of China’s territory and there is no dispute about it,” according to Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian on Monday, referring to the Paracels’ Chinese name.
“China’s necessary construction activities on its own territory are aimed at improving the living conditions of the island’s residents and serving local economic development,” Lin said in response to questions, without specifying the location of the activities.
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The comments came just days after Vietnamese foreign ministry spokeswoman Pham Thu Hang said Vietnam “resolutely opposes” Chinese land-reclamation activities and made representations about them, following reports of accelerated dredging and landfill operations at Antelope Reef in the Paracels, which Vietnam calls the Hoang Sa Islands.
She said Hanoi had “ample historical evidence and legal grounds” to assert sovereignty over the Paracel Islands, including Antelope Reef, and called any foreign activities in the waters without Vietnam’s permission “completely illegal and invalid”.
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