China today brushed aside ASEAN's concerns over the building of a reclaimed islands in the disputed South China Sea, saying that it is lawful as the area falls with in its sovereignty.
"The Chinese side has a clear and long-standing stance on the issue of the South China Sea. We have gone into details on the purposes and functions of the construction work on the islands and reefs of Nansha," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told media briefing here responding to questions on ASEAN's objections.
He was responding to the statement issued by leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nation's (ASEAN) meeting Malaysia taking exception to the building of an island by China.
Their statement, though does not mention China, comes after satellite images showed extensive Chinese building in disputed parts of the sea, BBC reported.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has called for "constructive" dialogue on the issue.
The topic has overshadowed discussions at a summit of the 10-member (ASEAN) in Langkawi, Malaysia.
Reacting to the statement Hong said "what must be stressed is that relevant construction which is reasonable, justified and lawful, is well within China's sovereignty. It does not impact or target any country, and is thus beyond reproach," he aid.
It is unjustifiable for a few countries to hype up this issue on relevant ASEAN conference, he said.
"The Chinese side is firmly opposed to a few countries' oblique charges against China as well as the pursuit of their private ends at the expense of the overall China-ASEAN relations," he said.
"We will continue to support and advocate that the South China Sea issue be addressed with the 'dual-track' approach. It is hoped that relevant countries will meet China halfway to jointly safeguard regional peace and stability as well as the overall interests of China-ASEAN relations," he said.
