At a June 17 press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian rejected reports that, under U.S.-Philippine pressure, China had removed previously installed "facilities" at Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal). He said the shoal is Chinese territory and that the Chinese Academy of Sciences' South China Sea Institute of Oceanology conducted a comprehensive survey covering the entire atoll from late May, a scientific mission now completed. Lin said the work deepened understanding of the atoll’s e

At a June 17 press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian rejected reports that, under U.S.-Philippine pressure, China had removed previously installed "facilities" at Huangyan Island (Scarborough Shoal). He said the shoal is Chinese territory and that the Chinese Academy of Sciences' South China Sea Institute of Oceanology conducted a comprehensive survey covering the entire atoll from late May, a scientific mission now completed. Lin said the work deepened understanding of the atoll’s ecosystem and supports South China Sea environmental management, with detailed results available on the institute’s website, and he reiterated that China has a sovereign right to carry out activities including scientific research and urged relevant countries to stop slander, false accusations and maritime provocations.