Three Filipino fishermen were injured and two fishing boats suffered "significant damage" after Chinese Coast Guard vessels fired water cannon at them and cut anchor lines, Philippine authorities said Saturday.

The incident, which involved some 20 Philippine fishing boats, occurred on Friday near the Sabina Shoal, a fish-rich area in the South China Sea. 

Beijing claims the South China Sea almost in its entirety in the face of an international ruling that the assertion is legally unfounded.

What was said about the Sabina Shoal incident?

The fishermen "were targeted with water cannon and dangerous blocking maneuvers," a Philippine Coast Guard spokesman said in a statement Saturday.

"Three fishermen sustained physical injuries, including bruises and open wounds. Two [Filipino fishing boats] also suffered significant damage from high-pressure water cannon blasts," the spokesman, Commodore Jay Tarriela, said in the statement.

"The PCG [Philippine Coast Guard] calls on the Chinese Coast Guard to adhere to internationally recognized standards of conduct, prioritizing the preservation of life at sea over pretensions of law enforcement that jeopardize the lives of innocent fishermen," Tarriela said.

He said Philippine Coast Guard vessels were initially blocked from reaching the area by "unprofessional and unlawful interferences" but succeeded on Saturday morning in getting through to provide medical attention to the injured.

In a statement released Saturday, the China Coast Guard said it had taken "necessary control measures against the Philippine vessels ... including issuing warnings via loudspeaker and conducting external maneuvering to drive them away."

Chinese territorial claims 'without legal basis'

China refers to the Sabina Shoal as Xianbin Reef, while the Philippines calls it the Escoda Shoal.

The shoal lies in the Philippine exclusive economic zone, 150 km (95 miles) west of Palawan province.

China's claims include areas that intrude into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal ruled that Beijing's territorial claims had no basis under international law, but China has rejected the ruling.

Edited by: Wesley Rahn