BEIJING: China on Friday defended its construction on disputed islands in the South China Sea as “normal”, after a US think tank released new satellite images showing deployment of radar and other equipment. Beijing claims nearly all of the sea and has been turning reefs in the Spratly and Paracel chains into islands, installing military facilities and equipment on them. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) said the buildup continued this year despite rival claims across the sea from Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. Responding to the report, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said: “If China is conducting any peaceful construction activity or deploying necessary defence facilities, it’s very normal because it’s within our sovereignty.”
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