Broadcaster CCTV said the incident happened in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The crew includes 17 people from China, 17 from Indonesia, and five from the Philippines.
President Xi Jinping ordered a coordinated search, CCTV said, but “so far, no missing persons have been found”.
China has deployed two commercial vessels to help in the regional search-and-rescue operation.
“It is necessary to further strengthen the safety management of fishing vessels at sea and implement preventive measures to ensure the safety of maritime transportation,” Premier Li Qiang was quoted as saying.
The Chinese reports did not identify the exact location of the sinking, revealing only that it took place in the center of the Indian Ocean that stretches from South Asia and the Arabian Peninsula to East Africa and western Australia.
The Philippine Coast Guard said on Wednesday it was monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Chinese Embassy in Manila as well as with search-and-rescue teams operating near the vessel’s last-known location.
MNA/PR