The so-called blood slave case, in which a Chinese national had been reported to be detained illegally in Cambodia and had large quantities of blood taken from him, was fabricated, the Chinese embassy in Cambodia said on Monday, quoting local police.

The Cambodian police informed the embassy of the preliminary results of an investigation and issued a police notice saying that the case was fabricated, the embassy said in a message on its WeChat account. On Feb 12, a hospital in Phnom Penh reported to the embassy that a Chinese man was admitted in a critical condition due to large quantities of blood having been drawn from him.

The man was duped by a false job advertisement and was coerced by criminals into being smuggled into Cambodia, before he was illegally detained and had large quantities of his blood drawn, media reports earlier said.

According to local police cited by the embassy, that's not the case. Li Yayuanlun, the Chinese national in question, was smuggled into the country, had a serious liver disease and later contacted a local social organization for help, the police said.

But three people then assisted Li for different purposes to make and publicize the lie that Li had been detained illegally and had blood drawn from him multiple times, the police said, without giving more details.

Cambodian police said they will transfer the case to Cambodian judicial authorities.

The Chinese embassy said that it is still highly concerned about the case and will keep following up on it, protect the legitimate rights and interests of relevant parties under the legal framework of China and Cambodia, and support and cooperate with local law enforcement authorities.

The Chinese embassy also called on Chinese in Cambodia to abide by the laws of both countries and said they must not fabricate rumors and deceive the public.