The Chinese government on Wednesday rolled out more details of the building work it is undertaking in the disputed South China Sea, listing lighthouses, communications stations and other facilities for civilian and emergency use.
China stepped up its creation of artificial islands last year, alarming several countries in Asia and drawing criticism from Washington. There have been recent tensions between the Chinese navy and the U.S. military around the Spratlys.
China, which said this week some of the reclamation work will be completed soon, says the construction on the islands will help with maritime search and rescue, disaster relief, environmental protection and offer navigational assistance as well as have undefined military purposes.