The Philippines discovered cyanide on Chinese boats operating around a disputed atoll in the South China Sea, Philippine security officials said on Monday.
Authorities said laboratory tests confirmed the presence of the highly toxic substance in bottles seized by the Philippine Navy in operations at Second Thomas Shoal (Renai Shoal, 仁愛暗沙) last year.
Officials warned that the cyanide could have had serious consequences for marine life and weaken the reef supporting a warship that Manila grounded on the atoll to reinforce its maritime claim.
Photo: EPA
“We wish to underscore that the use of cyanide in Ayungin Shoal is a form of sabotage that seeks to kill local fish populations, depriving navy personnel of a vital food source,” Philippine National Security Council spokesman Cornelio Valencia told a news conference using the Philippines’ name for the atoll.
Valencia added that cyanide could damage the reef and “ultimately compromise” the warship’s stability.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the assertions, calling them a “stunt.”
“The Philippine side illegally harassed the Chinese fishing boats conducting normal fishing, grabbed the fishermen’s living supplies and staged this so-called cyanide stunt. There is no credibility whatsoever to their story,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said on Monday.
The shoal is within the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile (370km) exclusive economic zone and 1,300km off China.
The Philippines has accused China of disrupting resupply missions to troops on the vessel, including a June 17, 2024, incident that turned violent and resulted in a Filipino sailor losing a finger.
China has denied allegations of aggressive conduct during such encounters and accused the Philippines of trespassing in its waters.
The June confrontation later led to a provisional understanding for resupply missions to the grounded ship.
China and the Philippines held high-level talks last month over the South China Sea, exploring preliminary steps toward oil and gas cooperation, and confidence-building measures, including communication between their coast guards.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in a statement on Monday said that the scope of the coast guard cooperation would be limited, and “does not contemplate cooperation in sensitive operational areas,” adding that there had been no discussions on joint patrols.
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