China on Monday defended its test flights to the Fiery Cross Reef in the Spratlys saying the island is a territory of Beijing, therefore there was no need to notify anyone about the flights.

China was reacting to Vietnam's complaint that it did not notify Hanoi about its flights to an island built in the South China Sea.

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Vietnam said that the civil aircraft landings by China were on an 'illegally' built reef, which Vietnam is also claiming together with four other countries.

Hanoi has vowed to protect its sovereignty to the Spratlys group of islands and will seek to resolve the dispute through peaceful means. The Vietnamese government reportedly sent a protest letter to the Chinese Embassy as well as to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) complaining that China continues to endanger the airspace in the South China Sea region with its unannounced flights.

Civil aviation authorities in Vietnam said China flew its aircraft into the country's "flight information region"  without prior notice and that China's continued flights over the disputed waters threatens the "safe exploitation of international air routes."'

China has rejected Vietnam's complaint as "groundless" because the test flights were within China's sovereign area.

"According to international law, national aviation activities are not subject to relevant restrictions from international civil aviation conventions and the International Civil Aviation Organization," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

China has conducted two test flights on its newly-built airstrip on the Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea.

The airstrip is one of three runways China has constructed in the contested islands in the Spratlys group oof islands, which is also being claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

China is, however, claiming almost all the islands and reefs in the disputed waters.

The United States had echoed Vietnam's protests and criticized China for building structures on reclaimed islands which it believes will be turned into a military zone.

The South China Sea is believed to have large deposits of oil and gas and up to $5 trillion worth of maritime trade passing through the waters every year. 

TagsVietnam, International Civil Aviation Organization