Philippine police have seized a Chinese fishing boat and detained its 11 crew in disputed South China Sea waters.
The boat was found near the disputed Spratly islands carrying 500 endangered sea turtles, reports say.
China's foreign ministry called the action provocative and demanded the immediate release of the fishermen who have been taken to a Philippines port.
This is the latest flare-up in a strategic area believed to be rich in natural resources.
China claims ownership of large parts of the South China Sea, including shoals and reefs, located off the coast of the Philippines.
Neighbouring countries Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan also have competing claims with China in the region.
Vietnam and China are at odds over China's plan to move its first deep-water drilling rig into an area which Vietnam claims as its territory.
A Vietnamese official told AP news agency that vessels from Vietnam and China collided in the area. There have been no reports of shots fired or injuries.
The Chinese fishing boat was being towed to shore and charges would be brought against the crew members, a Philippine maritime official told Reuters news agency.
China's Xinhua state news agency said the fishing boat - named as Qiongqionghai 09063 - had been seized by an 'unidentified armed vessel'.
'Several armed men forced themselves onto the boat and fired four or five shots in the air. They then took control of the boat,' Xinhua said.
Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily press briefing that it had demanded the Philippines release the boat and its crew.
The Philippines and China have been embroiled in increasingly serious stand-offs in disputed areas of the South China Sea.
In 2012, the two nations had a tense standoff near the Scarborough Shoal, leading to protests and angry rhetoric on both sides.
The Philippines has also challenged China's territorial claims at a UN tribunal last year.
Last month, the Philippines and the US signed a new military pact to promote stability in the region. US President Barrack Obama said the deal was not intended to contain China, but he backed Manila's move to seek UN arbitration over its maritime dispute with Beijing.
Posted by Unknown on Wednesday, May 7, 2014 - Rating: 4.5
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