Chinese construction on the islands and reefs in the South China Sea has not damaged the environment, a foreign ministry spokesman said Tuesday, refuting the Philippine's latest accusations.
Filipino fishery officials said they are "disturbed" by China's reclamation work in the South China Sea last Thursday. They said it threatens a quarter of the country's fish production due to damage done to coral reefs, according to a Reuters report.
China holds indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and the surrounding waters. "China pays more attention to the environment than anyone else when its comes to terms of construction on our islands," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing.
China's construction work on the islands, which has gone through years of scientific assessment and thorough verification, with strict environmental standards, will produce no damage to the marine environment, Hong said.
"I wonder if the Philippines has any evidence for their claim that China's construction on the islands causes damage to them," the spokesman said.
