Chinese search-and-rescue teams were helping the hunt for a Russian ship with 17 crew that went missing in the East China sea last week, state media reported.

China's Ministry of Communications was informed last Thursday that the ship, en route from the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido to Hong Kong, was missing about 212 nautical miles east of Shanghai.

"The Chinese search centre launched emergency rescue plans for the missing crew, and tried to use maritime satellites to locate the vessel, but no clues have been found," China's Xinhua news agency said, citing a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

Maritime authorities across east China have coordinated vessels to assist the search, the report said.