Vietnam has lodged a protest with Beijing over what it says was an attack on a Vietnamese fishing boat by Chinese law enforcement in the disputed South China Sea.

Vietnam's foreign ministry says the incident happened on Sunday when the vessel was operating in the Paracel archipelago. It says Vietnamese crew were injured and Chinese law enforcement seized equipment.

The ministry's spokesperson said on Wednesday that Vietnam is extremely concerned about the incident and resolutely opposes China's behavior.

She added that Vietnam demands China promptly investigate the incident and provide the results.
China's foreign ministry said its authorities had taken measures to stop fishing that had been happening illegally without permission from Beijing. It added that the operations were restrained and no injuries were found.

The development comes as Beijing is embroiled in another territorial dispute in the South China Sea with the Philippines.

Beijing has been trying to exert control in the waters, where it claims control over much of the area.