China Slams Vietnam Over Island-Building in South China Sea

China condemned Vietnam over a report it had sped up island-building in an area of the disputed South China Sea that Beijing claims as its own.
Photo of Barque Canada off the shore of Vietnam. China condemned Vietnam over a report it had sped up island-building in an area of the disputed South China Sea that Beijing claims as its own. (Image: CSIS-AMTI-Maxar)

China condemned Vietnam over a report it had sped up island-building in an area of the disputed South China Sea that Beijing claims as its own.

“China firmly opposes the relevant country’s construction activities on islands and reefs they have illegally occupied,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday. “We will do what is necessary to safeguard our own territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”

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