China's foreign ministry said Monday the Chinese fishing boat and coast guard vessel were not operating in Indonesian waters and called on Indonesia to jointly handle the incident involving eight detained Chinese fishermen.

The incident happened Saturday as Indonesian surveillance vessels tried to detain the trawler suspected of operating illegally near Indonesian islands in the South China Sea. After stopping the boat and removing the eight crew members, the Indonesians were towing the vessel to shore when the Chinese coast guard appeared and helped released the Chinese trawler, AFP reported.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said Monday the Chinese fishing boat was conducting normal operations in traditional Chinese fishing grounds when the Indonesia surveillance vessels approached the boat. The Chinese coast guard later showed up to rescue the boat but did not enter Indonesian waters.

She went on to say Indonesia has no territorial claims toward the Nansha Islands and China and Indonesia do not contest the sovereignty of the Natuna Islands, as both agree they are part of Indonesia.

She urged that maritime disputes be resolved through bilateral negotiations.

Indonesia does not have overlapping territorial claims with China in the South China Sea and has seen itself as an "honest broker" in disputes between China and the Philippines.

China's acting charge d'affaires in Jakarta, Sun Weide - who was summoned by both Indonesia's foreign ministry and fisheries ministry on Monday to hear protests - called for the release of the crew.

But Indonesian Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said the eight would face justice in Indonesia and dismissed as "baseless" Beijing's claim that the boat was operating in Chinese waters.

Hua also said fishing is an important part of cooperation between China and Indonesia and China has always opposed illegal fishing.

Meanwhile, two Taiwanese fishing boats were fired upon by what they believe to be an Indonesian navy vessel while sailing through the Strait of Malacca on Monday. The crew members of both ships were not harmed but one of the boats, Sheng Te Tsai, reportedly suffered more than 10 bullet holes, Taipei-based Central News Agency reported.