China will not halt construction in South China Sea - navy chief

Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters/Files

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will not halt the construction of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, state media reported the head of China's navy saying on Monday. China will not leave outcroppings under construction half finished, state-run Xinhua news agency reported the admiral as saying. (Reporting by Beijing monitoring team)