China to Build Lighthouses on Five Isles in Defiance of US Call

China plans to build lighthouses on five islands in the South China Sea, state media reported on Thursday, in defiance of calls from the United States and the Philippines for a freeze on such activity to ease tension over rival claims. At least two of the islands upon which China said it will put up lighthouses appear to be in waters also claimed by Vietnam. Overlapping claims in the South China Sea have fuelled confrontation in recent months with China, which claims 90 percent of the sea, at odds with Vietnam and the Philippines in particular.