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| Photo credit to the owner |
After the Chinese
media reported on Thursday that China is planning to build lighthouses in South
China Sea, many Asian netizens have expressed their negative reactions.
However, Chinese foreign minister defended its government decision, saying that
they the lighthouse are only for navigation use.
It is reported that China plans to build
lighthouses on the five islands in South China Sea such as North Reef,
Antelope Reef, Drummond Island, South Sand and Pyramid Rock, including two
which are also claimed by Vietnam
On a foreign ministry website, it
was posted last Friday that Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in her statement Friday that the lighthouses were
"necessary measures to guarantee the security of vessel traffic" and
was both in the public concern and accommodating with international law.
The China has planned to build
another project even though the U.S. and the Philippines have proposed for a
freeze on any status-quo shifting moves by disputants in the area. China
rejected the said proposal.
Washington is also trying to use
this weekend's ASEAN regional forum in Myanmar to urge the Southeast Asian foreign
ministers to pressure China to come t0 the discussion table.
The Philippines believes that asside
from the lighthouses, China is also building a landing strip on a shoal claiming
that it is still part of their territory. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met
his counterparts from some southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, on the
sidelines of the summit in Myanmar where he told Wang told Vietnamese Foreign
Minister Pham Binh Minh that the China would take "all necessary means to
safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests" .
