Beijing, Mar 17 (IANS): China is building a tsunami alert centre in the South China Sea, a media report said on Thursday.

The facility is being constructed in the South China Sea, Wang Hong, chief of the State Oceanic Administration, said on the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the annual legislative session on Wednesday, the Global Times reported.

"In fact, it has been begun operations and has already issued tsunami alerts to the international community, including neighbouring countries in the South China Sea," Wang noted, adding that the project has received UN approval.

This is the latest announcement on facilities China is constructing in the South China Sea, although Wang did not reveal the specific location.

During the two sessions, officials of Hainan province also announced the province is building piers and restoring the ecological environment on the Xisha Islands.

Lighthouses have started operating since October 2015 on Huayan and Chigua reefs in the Nansha Islands, while the airport on Yongxing Island has been managing flights.

China's foreign ministry have reiterated that such construction fall within China's sovereignty rights and are civilian and public facilities aimed at better serve coastal nations in the South China Sea as well as maritime traffic from around the world.