A Chinese trawler has been sunk by the Argentina's coast guard for illegally fishing in its territorial waters authorities said, adding the former tried to ram a coast guard boat.
The Argentina coast guard vessel warned the Chinese Lu Yan Yuan Yu 010 as it attempted to raise the crew by radio.
"On several occasions the offending ship performed manoeuvres designed to force a collision with the coast guard, putting at risk not only its own crew but coast guard personnel, who were then ordered to shoot parts of the vessel," the coast guard said in a statement reports The Guardian.
The crew abandoned ship when the vessel began to sink.
The coast guard rescued four people while others were picked up by another Chinese vessel shadowing the pursuit.
The incident marks the first test for relations between Argentina and China.
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Meanwhile, a spokesman for Argentina's foreign ministry said the judiciary was investigating the incident while comment from Chinese embassy in Buenos Aires has been sought.
The trawler was fishing off the coast of Puerto Madryn, Chubut province, a zone known for squid when the coast guard used radar to hunt them.