“I would like to stress that Ren’ai Jiao is part of China’s Nansha Qundao and is China’s territory,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday in response to a question about the Philippines’ National Security Council claimed at a news briefing that cyanide was found in samples recovered this February near Ren’ai Jiao from Chinese vessels, as well as in samples from October 2025.
Guo added that Philippine vessel illegally grounded at Ren’ai Jiao has severely damaged the reef’s ecological environment, as confirmed by relevant reports. The Philippine side has also illegally harassed Chinese fishing vessels engaged in normal fishing operations, seized fishermen’s livelihood supplies, and staged the so-called “cyanide farce.”
These claims are entirely lacking in credibility and not worth refuting, Guo said.
