China may seek to further build up its man-made islands in the South China Sea if it feels the outposts are under threat, one of the country's senior naval officers has said. 

The country reserved the right to do as it pleased on the islands it has created in the strategically vital waterway, which it claims virtually in its entirety, according to Senior Captain Zhang Junshe, a naval academy researcher. 

”If our on-island personnel and installations come under threat in future, then we necessarily will take measures to boost our defensive capabilities," he said during a briefing with journalists. 

China’s claims in the region clash with those of several other countries. Competing claims have been made by Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Taiwan