FILE PHOTO: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang takes a question from a journalist during the daily press briefing of the Foreign Ministry in Beijing, China, March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Peter

BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s Foreign Ministry says it has lodged stern representations in response to what it called Vietnam’s illegal claims in the South China sea and that any attempt to deny China’s sovereignty there will be doomed to fail.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a daily briefing Tuesday. Vietnam in recent days has protested against China’s efforts to expand in the disputed waters, including by submitting a claim to the United Nations.