The Foreign Ministry requested that Argentina "investigate thoroughly" circumstances surrounding the sinking of a Chinese fishing boat by the Argentine coast guard, the ministry said in a news release on Wednesday.

Ministry spokesman Lu Kang confirmed that the boat, Luyanyuanyu 010, was chased by the Argentine coast guard for hours on Monday, Beijing time, before being shot at and sunk.

There were no casualties in the incident and four of the crew members were rescued by the Argentine coast guard, while 28 others were also rescued.

Leaders of the State Council were paying close attention to the incident and issued important instructions, according to Lu.

"The Foreign Ministry and the Chinese embassy in Argentina have lodged urgent representations to Argentina, expressing grave concern over the incident and requesting Argentina to immediately and thoroughly investigate the case, inform China of the details, effectively ensure the safety and lawful rights of the Chinese crew, and take effective measures to prevent any such cases from happening again," he said.