BEIJING, Aug. 8 -- 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.