China on Thursday slammed a Philippine move aimed at claiming the Huangyan Islands in the South China Sea, saying it was groundless and made no sense.

"Our will and resolve in safeguarding territorial sovereignty is unswerving, and China resolutely opposes any move that will complicate and expand the situation," Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a press conference.

"China has indisputable sovereignty over the Huangyan Islands," he reiterated.

The Philippines has contested China's ownership of the islands. According to media reports, the Philippine defense ministry is to place the Huangyan Islands under the jurisdiction of its western command, and the country's armed forces will "act when the time comes."

"This is so to enhance our external defense capabilities which is now being concentrated at the Western Command and unity of effort and unity of command so that our external defense efforts will just be under one commander," Philippines military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala told reporters on Tuesday when speaking of the responsibility area of the Western Command, as quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

"The Western Command has the necessary assets that can address territorial defense and monitoring. They have the necessary aircraft that can fly to all these areas for the purpose of monitoring and reporting to higher government office," Zagala said.