China says its construction work in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) “cannot be questioned” after a U.S. think tank reported that recent satellite images show China may be installing a high-frequency radar system in the Spratly Islands.

BEIJING – China said on Tuesday that construction work in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) cannot be questioned after a U.S. think tank reported that recent satellite images show China may be installing a high-frequency radar system in the Spratly Islands.

The Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies said the images showed that construction of facilities at Cuarteron Reef appeared nearly complete and that the artificial island now covered an area of about 52 acres (210,500 square metres).

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, asked about the report, said she didn’t know any details but that China had every right to build on its own territory and deploy “limited” defensive means there.

“The islands and reefs you just mentioned are all indisputable Chinese territory. China’s construction on its own territory is completely within its sovereignty rights. By deploying limited necessary defensive facilities on the relevant islands and reefs in the South China Sea, China is exercising its defensive rights as a sovereign country empowered by international law, which cannot be questioned,” Hua told reporters at a daily briefing in Beijing.

Read more: http://news.abs-cbn.com/global-filipino/world/02/23/16/china-defends-radar-in-spratlys