BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- China's construction in Xisha Qundao is intended to meet the basic needs of the people living there and support local economic and social development. This activity is legitimate, reasonable and fully justified.

However, some Western news reports have recently hyped up and smeared China's construction project in Lingyang Jiao, part of Xisha Qundao, and groundlessly and deliberately linked it to military purposes.

Regarding this construction, several points need to be made clear.

First, Xisha Qundao is China's inherent territory, over which there is no dispute at all. What China does, including construction at Lingyang Jiao, falls within the purview of its sovereignty and is carried out within the confines of international law.

China's sovereignty over Xisha Qundao is grounded in historical facts. Successive Chinese governments have exercised continuous, peaceful, and effective jurisdiction over these islands. The current construction activity is therefore a normal and lawful administrative measure.

Second, as previously stressed by a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, necessary construction on China's own territory is aimed at improving the living and production conditions of fishermen on the islands and developing the local economy.

The waters around Lingyang Jiao are among the most challenging navigational routes in Xisha Qundao. For a long time, poor infrastructure and typhoons have left local fishermen short of shelter or proper facilities for boat repairs. The construction effort will better meet their needs for water, electricity and accommodation, while also expanding Lingyang Jiao's functions as a fishery service base and a typhoon shelter.

Third, the construction project enables China to better provide international public goods, support maritime search and rescue, and enhance safety for merchant ships, fishing boats and other marine activities. This effort is clearly not intended for "militarization," but rather for maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea.

Figures show China's public service efforts in the South China Sea. From 2021 to 2025, China carried out a total of 1,192 rescue operations in the region, assisting 2,793 Chinese and foreign nationals as well as 119 distressed vessels.

In addition, the construction project is also conducive to future international cooperation in areas such as maritime ecological restoration and conservation and climate change. It will also facilitate efforts to crack down on illegal fishing.

It is absurd that some Western media reports jump to unwarranted, irresponsible conclusions based solely on a handful of satellite images. Their biased assumption that everything China does in the region is driven by military motives is, in fact, a telling reflection of the West's geopolitical paranoia. It is also a typical gambit of using the so-called "China threat" as a pretext for certain external forces to increase their military activities in the South China Sea.