China asserts sovereign rights to conduct scientific research at Huangyan Island

It is fully within China's sovereign rights to carry out activities, including scientific research, at Huangyan Island, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, urging relevant countries to stop spreading rumors, smears, and false accusations against China.

The ministry's spokesman Lin Jian made the remarks after reports said that China has removed the floating structure previously placed at the island "under the pressure of the United States and the Philippines".

Huangyan Island has always been China's territory and China has indisputable sovereignty over the island and its adjacent waters, Lin reiterated.

Since late May, the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has conducted comprehensive research covering the entire area surrounding Huangyan Island, and this scientific expedition has been successfully completed, according to Lin.

Any activities carried out by China in the area brook no external interference, he said, urging relevant countries to stop making provocations and creating trouble at sea.