Beijing said Friday it had taken "necessary control measures" involving about 20 Philippine fishing boats near the flashpoint Sabina Shoal, a fish-rich area about 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the island of Palawan.

It was the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in the contested waterway, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

The fishermen were "were targeted with water cannons 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," Commodore Jay Tarriela said.

Small Chinese rigid hull inflatable vessels had also "deliberately cut the anchor lines of several (boats)", he added.

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".

Video released by the Philippine side showed water cannon blasts crashing over the small fishing boats. Tarriela told AFP the high-powered streams had "destroyed wooden structures" on the vessels.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to requests for comment.

In October, the Philippines accused a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming one of its government vessels in the Spratly Islands, where Beijing has sought to assert its sovereignty claims for years. Beijing blamed Manila for the incident.

A month earlier, one person was injured when a water cannon attack by a China Coast Guard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of another fisheries bureau vessel near the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal.