Chinese ships conduct Diaoyu Islands sea patrol

Four Chinese marine surveillance vessels patrolled territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands on Friday, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

The fleet declared the Chinese government's stance regarding the Diaoyu Islands to Japanese ships that had illegally entered the waters, the SOA said.

The four vessels asked the Japanese ships to leave the waters and collected evidence of infringement on China's sovereignty, it said.