The Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that reports of China positioning anti-aircraft missiles on one of its islands in the South China Sea are hype.

"The Xisha Islands are inherent territory of China. China has justified and legal rights to implement defense facilities on its territory to protect national sovereignty and security," the ministry's Information Office told China Daily in a written response.

"China started deploying maritime and air defense on relevant islands years ago. The hyping by certain Western media is a pure repeat of the 'China threat' theory," the response said.

Fox News reported on Tuesday that an advanced surface-to-air missile system has been deployed on Yongxing Island in the past week.