China on Tuesday reacted to the Philippines' criticism of lighthouses constructed by it in the South China Sea, saying "these actions do not change the status quo there".
"China holds indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha islands and their surrounding waters. There is no need for us to bolster a sovereignty claim through building lighthouses," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
She reiterated that China's construction completely falls within its own sovereignty, Xinhua news agency reported.
China is building civilian and international public facilities on its own territory with the aim of better serving coastal nations in the South China Sea and passing vessels from around the world, Hua said.
The lighthouses on Huayang and Chigua reefs went into operation on October 10.
