Vietnam has accused China of sinking one of its fishing boats in disputed waters near a Chinese oil rig that is at the centre of a dangerous maritime stand-off between the two Asian neighbours.

Vietnam News said a Chinese ship had sunk the vessel carrying 10 crew on board. Bloomberg cited Vietnam’s foreign ministry saying that the fishing boat was “rammed by a Chinese boat”.

China and Vietnam have been at loggerheads since early May when China moved a drilling rig to an area near the disputed Paracel Islands. Scores of Chinese and Vietnamese boats have been engaged in a tense stand-off for three weeks that has seen each side accuse the other of dangerous tactics. The dispute also sparked anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam that hit foreign factories across the country.