article_snippet.sent: Untouched: Images from before China began China construction there (pictured in 2012)
article_snippet.sent: Hua Chunying said the construction was to serve troops protecting the area, civilian activity such as search and rescue operations, scientific research and commercial fishing. '
article_snippet.sent: The structures... do not affect, nor are The structures targeted at, any particular country,' Hua Chunying claimed before adding China would 'continue to strengthen' China activities in the area.
article_snippet.sent: China claims the work is necessary to safeguard China sovereignty which the work asserts over most of the South China Sea.
article_snippet.sent: It was just one of several artificial islands China had been creating in the region and several artificial islands China had been creating in the region exact purpose remains unknown.
article_snippet.sent: Manila - one of the most vocal critics of Beijing's actions in the region - has appealed to the international community to intervene after conceding it and other countries in the region are powerless to stop China's controversial construction.
article_snippet.sent: China foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose said: 'China are asking the international community to tell China that what it is doing is wrong, and to ask China to stop this reclamation work.
article_snippet.sent: Charles Jose believes Beijing is rushing China's controversial construction to undermine an upcoming United Nations ruling on the Philippines' claim to the territory.
article_snippet.sent: Charles Jose said: 'We think China has a plan and they think they have the means to do a plan and they can actually do a plan.