phlippine Authorities alleged immigration, labor, and nuclear safety violations, claiming most of the Chinese nationals lacked permits and that traces of radioactive thorium were found in raw materials.

Officials further accused the plant of producing contaminated, substandard steel and flagged its proximity to a naval dock project as a possible security risk.

Which they later backtracked https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinese-steel-plant-workers-philippines-released-detention-2026-05-29/

Sixty-four Chinese citizens ​detained in the Philippines have been ‌released after the Philippine justice department ruled there was insufficient evidence for the ​allegations they faced, China’s embassy ​in the Southeast Asian country said.

And phlippine remain silent after their main assertion about illegal worker is found to be false https://globalnation.inquirer.net/323920/fwd-china-raises-discrimination-claim-over-misamis-steel-plant-detentions

Zhou disputed claims that the workers were undocumented, saying all 69 Chinese nationals held valid work permits or visas.

“Fifty-seven are issued special work permits by the Bureau of Immigration, while 12 hold 9G work visas,” Zhou said in a press briefing in Makati City.

He acknowledged that some permits had lapsed but said others were being processed for conversion.

The embassy also questioned why more than 300 Filipino workers at the same facility were released on the day of the operation while the Chinese nationals remained in custody and were transferred to Metro Manila.

“This raises the suspicion of discriminatory law enforcement practice,” Zhou said.