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Dozens of protesting taxi drivers in China have drunk pesticide in central Beijing over a dispute with authorities, but no deaths have been reported.

The incident involving more than 30 drivers took place in the capital's landmark Wangfujing shopping street, a popular pedestrian-only area lined with shops, some selling luxury goods.

Officers on patrol found the drivers on Saturday morning, lying on the street in front of a building with pesticide bottles nearby, and immediately arranged for them to be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

A brief statement posted on the official social media account of the Beijing Public Security Bureau said that the drivers were all from Suifenhe city in Heilongjiang, which borders Russia, and that police were investigating in coordination with provincial authorities.

"They came to Beijing to express their demands on contract and vehicle renewal," the statement said.

It identified them as "individual" taxi drivers, meaning they do not work for taxi companies but instead contract with government authorities.

Their specific grievances are unknown.

Protests over labour, land, environmental and other disputes are frequent in China, and are thought to number in the tens of thousands annually.

ABC/AFP