Indonesian navy officials detained a Chinese boat along with seven Chinese crew members for allegedly fishing in Indonesian maritime territory in the disputed South China Sea region, Indonesia's navy spokesman said on Saturday.

Indonesia's Admiral Edi Sucipto told reporters that navy officials responded to a report from maritime air surveillance officials that 12 foreign fishing vessels were spotted at Natuna Islands, which is claimed by both China and Indonesia.   

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"When approached by our warship, the foreign fishing boats maneuvered and escaped," Edi said. "Finally, after some warning shots, one of the 12 foreign fishing boats stopped."    

Edi added that after the necessary investigation, officials discovered the vessel was a Chinese boat and the crew members, including one woman and six men, were all Chinese citizens.   

Beijing has not yet released any official statement on the incident.  

This is the second big fishing spat between the two countries in recent days. In March, Indonesia arrested eight Chinese fishermen for allegedly intruding on the Natuna Islands.

The Indonesian government then defied China's call to free the Chinese prisoners and vowed to prosecute them under Indonesian law.  

The Indonesian government has beefed up security around Natuna Islands, around which Indonesia has built a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that slightly overlaps China's maritime territory. Currently, the Indonesian government has reportedly deployed 800 military officials to the islands, a number which is likely to rise to 1,000 by end of this year.

TagsSouth China Sea Dispute, Indonesia, China and Indonesia, Natuna Islands