Special: Territorial disputes in South China Sea

BEIJING - Building lighthouses on Xisha and Nansha islands is an irreproachable act of China which observes its obligation to ensure navigational safety within its territory, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China has long been building and maintaining lighthouses and other navigational aid facilities on Nansha and Xisha islands, China's inherent territory, in line with international regulations.

"They are necessary measures to guarantee navigational safety in the area" and are "irreproachable," Hua said in response to questions about the preparation for lighthouse construction on five atolls in the South China Sea.

Sites chosen for Xisha lighthouses to give ships 'extra eyes' 

The sites of five lighthouses to be built on islands in the Xisha waters have been selected, the Navigation Guarantee Center of the South China Sea said on Thursday.

Navigation services in the waters are currently very basic - there is a shortage of maps of islands and no differential GPS network.

The center said the lack of information created difficulties for ships wishing to anchor over coral reefs.

A team of lighthouse construction experts has been sent to conduct research at the five locations. More