MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines' biggest warship was locked in a standoff on Wednesday (April 11th) with two Chinese vessels in the South China Sea, reigniting tensions in a decades-long dispute over the resource-rich waters, AFP reported.

The Philippines government said the Chinese surveillance ships were blocking efforts by its navy flagship vessel to arrest Chinese fishermen found at the weekend to have illegally entered its territory. China insisted it had sovereign rights over the area and ordered the Philippines warship to leave.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said he was looking to end the standoff through diplomatic means. "No one will benefit if we have violence," he told reporters.

Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said both sides wanted a peaceful resolution, but cautioned that negotiations were at an "impasse."

In Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Weimin accused the Philippines of "harassing" the Chinese fishermen and said a protest had been lodged.

The standoff was occurring at Scarborough Shoal, just 124 nautical miles from the Philippines' main island of Luzon.

China insists it has sovereign rights to all of the South China Sea, even waters close to the coast of other countries and hundreds of kilometres from its own landmass.

Apart from China and the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei and Vietnam have overlapping claims to parts of the South China Sea.