China referred to Vietnam's claims over the disputed territories in South China Sea as "ridiculous," Reuters reports.

China's comment came after Vietnam's National Border Committee deputy head, Tran Dui Hai, announced the basis for the latter's claims over the disputed Paracel islands during a press conference on Friday.

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There are certain legal and historical evidences that point to Vietnam's "absolute sovereignty in the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos," Tran explained.

In response, Qin Gang, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said he felt that Vietnam's claim over the islands was "extremely ridiculous."

"The Paracels are the indisputable territory of the Chinese people," Qin said.

He further explained that the disputed islands had been considered part of China territory since around 206 BC during the Han dynasty when Chinese explorers had first discovered the islets.

Territorial disputes in the South China Sea believed to be rich in natural gas and oil have been a source of tension among nations in Southeast Asia.

Recently, tensions between China and Vietnam escalated when the former had deployed a deep sea oil drill rig in the disputed islands earlier this month.

This sparked fury from the Vietnamese which led to a deadly riot. Anti-Chinese riots had occurred in Vietnam resulting in a number of casualties as enraged citizens targeted Chinese owned businesses and factories and set them on fire.

The Paracel islands include over 30 small islands, reefs and sandbanks, with an aggregate maritime area of around 15,000 square kilometers and about 8 square kilometers of land.

China lays claim to almost all of the South China Sea against opposing Southeast Asian nations Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Likewise, there is a territorial maritime dispute between China and Japan over Senkaku island (also known as Diaoyu in Chinese) in the East China Sea.

Tagssenkaku, daioyu, Paracel Islands, spratly, spratlys, Malaysia, brunei, Taiwan, World News, maritime dispute, riot in vietnam, qin gang, Tran Dui Hai