China says defence facilities on islands had been in place for years

11:17 - 17 February 2016

China defends South China Sea reef landings after Vietnam complaint

"China's air and naval defensive deployments on the relevant islands and reefs have existed for many years," the statement said, adding that reports by certain western media were nothing but "hype".

China's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday defence facilities on "relevant islands and reefs" had been in place for many years, when asked whether China had deployed a surface-to-air missile system on one of the disputed islands it controls in the South China Sea.

The Paracel Islands are China's territory, so China is within its rights to deploy defence facilities there, the ministry added in a statement to Reuters.