BEIJING, CHINA - More than 200 taxi drivers in southern China smashed cars and besieged a government office in the country's second such strike in a week, an official and state media said on Monday.

The cabbies gathered at the government headquarters in the city of Sanya on Hainan island early Monday to protest contract terms and competition from unlicensed cab drivers, a city official told AFP by phone.

"They smashed other cars, bringing traffic to a standstill. Twenty or 30 of them really got carried away," said the official in the city's transportation department, who asked not to be named.

State-run Xinhua news agency put the number of cab drivers gathered at the scene at more than 200. The official said "some" members of the public also joined in.

The crowds dispersed in the afternoon, Xinhua said.

The outburst comes a week after a violent strike by thousands of cab drivers in the southern city of Chongqing, who were angered by low fares, rising costs, and illegal drivers.

In that strike, cab drivers last Monday smashed up more than 100 taxis belonging to drivers who crossed picket lines, as well as three police cars, Xinhua had reported.

State media has said cab companies have agreed to lower the Chongqing drivers' fees for leasing the cab.

The Sanya transportation official said city authorities were studying the issues raised by the taxi drivers.

Xinhua said 10 people were detained over the violence.

China sees tens of thousands of violent public outbursts each year, termed "mass incidents" by the government, often stemming from grievances over abuse of power, corruption, land grabs or labour disputes.