Beijing 'will never' halt island work

China ready for any provocation, official tells US admiral

China's naval chief told a visiting US Navy officer on Monday that Beijing "will never give up halfway" the construction of its islands in the South China Sea.

Admiral Wu Shengli, commander of the People's Liberation Army Navy, also told Admiral John Richardson, US chief of naval operations, that the Chinese Navy has made "sufficient preparations" to deal with any sovereignty infringement or provocation.