The Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Thursday said that all 70 detained Chinese nationals associated with a steel plant in Mindanao in the southern Philippines have been released.

After facilitating the release of 64 Chinese nationals on May 28, the embassy kept urging Philippine authorities to speed up identity verification for the remaining six. It demanded a fair, expeditious handling of the case in accordance with the law to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.

Two detainees were released on May 29, two on June 3, and the final two on June 15 and June 17, respectively.

The Chinese citizens had been working at a steel plant in Misamis Oriental province and were taken into custody by Philippine law enforcement authorities on May 15.

On May 29, the embassy said the Philippine Department of Justice had ruled there was insufficient evidence to support allegations that the Chinese nationals had violated local regulations.