China's Foreign Ministry says the deployment of ground-to-air missiles on the Xisha Islands in South China Sea does not constitute militarization. The ministry says the islands belong to China.
"The Xisha Islands are China's inherent territory. They are not disputed islands. For the past decades, China has been deploying homeland defense facilities. This is nothing new. We hope relevant countries will not deliberately hype the issue, and will do more that is condusive to regional peace and stability. China's deployment there has nothing to do with militarization," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hong Lei.
