A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines on Saturday called relevant parties to respect the facts and not be misled by untruthful media tactics over "ecological destruction" in South China Sea.

The comments came after a U.S. think tank accused China of having destroyed at least 21,000 acres of coral reefs in the South China Sea since 2012 through island construction and fishing of giant clams.

"This think tank concocted the false report by citing a few satellite images and stirring up falsified allegations from years ago, and such a report is neither factual nor verifiable," the spokesperson said.

China has always attached great importance to the protection of ecological environment of the Nansha Islands and Reefs and their adjacent waters, he added.