The Jinqing Island of Xisha Islands is seen in south China's Hainan Province on April 23, 2017. Photo: Xinhua

China on Friday urged Vietnam to stop fabricating facts after the latter claimed that a Vietnamese fishing boat sank after it was chased by a Chinese vessel in the South China Sea.

The Vietnamese fishing boat had already sunk before the Chinese ship arrived, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing on Friday.

Vietnam's foreign ministry claimed that the boat sank after running aground while being chased by a Chinese vessel on March 6, according to a report from Reuters on Friday. 

Vietnam said late Thursday that it lodged an official protest with China following the sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat, adding that the alleged move from China "threatened the lives and damaged the properties and the legitimate interests of Vietnamese fishermen," Reuters reported.

Geng denounced the accusation at the daily briefing, noting that "there's no dispute that Xisha Islands are Chinese territory and we urge the Vietnamese side to immediately stop their illegal fishing activities in the waters."