When asked to comment on reports claiming that China had removed the structure previously installed on Huangyan Dao under pressure from the US and the Philippines, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said during a Wednesday press conference that Huangyan Dao is an inherent territory of China, and China holds indisputable sovereignty over Huangyan Island and its adjacent waters.

Since late May, the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has carried out a comprehensive survey covering the entire Huangyan Dao atoll. This scientific expedition has helped deepen understanding and forecasting of Huangyan Dao's ecosystem and supports ecological civilization development in the South China Sea, and the mission has been successfully completed. Detailed information about the expedition is available on the official website of the research institute, Lin said.

"I wish to stress that any activities China conducts around Huangyan Dao, including scientific research, constitute legitimate rights of a sovereign state, and no other country has the right to interfere," Lin said, adding that China urges relevant countries to immediately stop fabricating slander and false accusations against China, and cease provocative acts at sea.