A man surnamed Zhen driving a car clashed with a taxi driver late on Sunday evening in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, after the two argued over who would go through a toll first, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Zhen, along with two other people who were riding with him, beat up the cab driver who ended up with a swollen chest and eyes, Xinhua said.

More than a hundred taxi drivers gathered at the site of the fight, blocking traffic in protest at the alleged aggressors, some of whom they said were officials.

But Xinhua said that after a police investigation, it was revealed that the three who reportedly beat up the taxi driver were not officials but businessmen and workers.

The three have been detained, and the incident is being investigated, the report said.

Local police were unavailable for comment when contacted by AFP.

Taxi drivers in various cities in China have gone on strike in recent weeks, and a two-day riot in Gansu province left at least 60 people injured last week.

Demonstrations are common in China, often fuelled by government-backed land grabs or other types of abuse of power.

But with China's economy slowing, Chinese authorities are concerned that these protests could evolve into more widespread unrest throughout the country.

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