China rebuts claim it sank Vietnamese fishing boat

A Chinese official on Thursday denied Vietnamese allegations that a Chinese coast guard ship sank a Vietnamese fishing boat in the South Chinese Sea last week.

According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, China's coast guard found two Vietnamese boats fishing near Huaguang Reef of China's Xisha Islands on Saturday.

The coast guard urged the fishing boats to leave, but they turned a deaf ear, said the official.