China breaks ground on lighthouse project in South China Sea

China has held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of two lighthouses in internationally disputed waters in the South China Sea, state news agency Xinhua said Tuesday, a move that is likely to escalate tensions in a region already jittery about Beijing's maritime ambitions.

China's Ministry of Transport hosted the ceremony for two multifunctional lighthouses on Huayang Reef and Chigua Reef in the disputed Spratly islands, Xinhua said, defying calls from the United States and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity.

The reefs are known in English as Cuateron Reef and Johnson South Reef.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the country is carrying out construction projects in the region to facilitate activities such as maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and navigational security.

She told a regular news briefing that maritime accidents frequently occur in the South China Sea. "China's construction of the lighthouses on Huayang Reef and Chigua Reef in the Spratly islands is an important measure to implement its corresponding international responsibilities and duties," she said.

She said that China would continue to build other installations in the Spratly islands to better serve countries in the region and vessels navigating those waters.

Last year, the Philippines accused China of reclaiming land on Johnson South Reef, apparently to build an airstrip.

China claims most of the 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. The Philippines' defense minister said Monday that Manila was seeking a “stronger commitment” from the U.S. to help it with activities in the South China Sea.

Hua said she wanted to remind the Philippines that "China will not bully small countries" but added that small countries "must not ceaselessly and willfully make trouble."

"We hope the Philippines can cease its instigation and provocation and return to the correct path of resolving the problem through negotiation and consultation," she said.

In recent weeks, the U.S. has clashed with China over Beijing's construction activities in the South China Sea. 

The Pentagon believes the work is aimed at cementing China's claim to the vast majority of the South China Sea, and Washington worries that China may declare an exclusion zone in the sea that could limit free movement of ships and aircraft.

On Monday, China's Foreign Ministry said it lodged a complaint with the U.S. over an American spy plane that flew over parts of the South China Sea. 

Reuters