Spokeswoman: Test flight 'completely within China's sovereignty'

This satellite image shows the Yongshu Jiao of China's Nansha Islands. [Photo/Xinhua]

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying has dimissed Hanoi's accusation about the test flight to newly-built airport on Yongshu Jiao of China's Nansha Islands.

The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson made a statement on Saturday, expressing Vietnam's protest against China's test flight to a newly-built airport on Yongshu Jiao of the Nansha Islands.

In response, Hua said that China has finished building a new airport on Yongshu Jiao of China's Nansha Islands.

"The Chinese government conducted a test flight to the airport with a civil aircraft in order to test whether or not the facilities on it meet the standards for civil aviation. Relevant activity falls completely within China's sovereignty," Hua said.

China has indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and their adjacent waters, and the Chinese side "will not accept the unfounded accusation from the Vietnamese side", Hua said.

The spokeswoman also noted that "the China-Vietnam relationship, on the whole, is riding a momentum of development".

"It is hoped that the Vietnamese side can work with China in the same direction and make concrete efforts to sustain the sound and stable growth of bilateral ties," she said.