Ships withdraw from island lagoon

Chinese government ships have left the lagoon but remain in the waters of Huangyan Island to provide services to Chinese fishermen there, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

Spokesman Liu Weimin made the remarks at a daily news conference in response to a report saying that China and the Philippines have agreed to withdraw their ships from a lagoon in the area.

Huangyan Island is an undisputed integral part of Chinese territory, he said.