China's Diaoyu Islands patrol mission continues

A Chinese fleet patrolled the waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday, marking the country's 59th Diaoyu Islands patrol in the past year, the State Oceanic Administration (SOA) said.

The patrol was conducted by China Coast Guard (CCG) ships 2350, 1115, 1126, 2112, 2113, 2146 and 2506 on Tuesday morning.

Chinese law-enforcement vessels have conducted regular patrols around the Diaoyu Islands since September 2012, when Japan announced a plan to "purchase" the islands, according to the SOA.

In the past year, Chinese ships have circled the islands at a minimum distance of 0.28 nautical miles, said the SOA.

The longest single patrol in waters around the islands lasted for 28 hours and 36 minutes, said the SOA, adding a joint patrol was also held within the islands' territorial airspace and seas.

Regarding the illegal navigation of boats of Japanese right-wing activists in the Diaoyu Islands waters, Chinese law-enforcement ships have taken a series of legal actions to consolidate China's administration over the islands, the SOA said.

The Japanese boats violated international navigation rules and often traversed along or outflanked Chinese ships at a short range, which are dangerous actions in maritime traffic controls, according to the SOA.

At their closest approaches, the Japanese boats were less than 10 meters from Chinese surveillance ships.

The Japanese boats also provoked Chinese vessels by shinning strong light in attempts to deter China's normal maritime law-enforcement activities.

Chinese ships warned the Japanese boats to immediately desist and obtained evidence of their dangerous actions, said the SOA.

The administration vowed that it will further boost the law enforcement concerning the Diaoyu Islands and safeguard the territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests of the Chinese nation with actual actions.

KEY EVENTS

Looking back the law enforcement operations regarding the Diaoyu Islands in the past year, the Chinese government has made historical breakthroughs in its regular patrols by ships and planes:

-- On Sept. 14, 2012, two fleets comprising six surveillance ships completed the first patrol in waters surrounding Diaoyu Islands after the Chinese government announced the base points and baselines of the territorial waters of the islands.

-- On Dec. 13, 2012, the SOA successfully employed a surveillance plane to conduct joint patrols with a fleet of four surveillance ships within the territorial airspace and waters of the Diaoyu Islands. It was the first time that a Chinese surveillance plane had flown above the islands to declare sovereignty.

-- On Feb. 4, 2013, Chinese surveillance ships found and successfully expelled Japanese fishing boats from the territorial waters of the Diaoyu Islands.

-- On April 23, 2013, a fleet of 10 Chinese law-enforcement ships drove away 10 Japanese fishing boats for their illegal activities in the waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands.

-- Since July 26, 2013, the CCG, which merges maritime law enforcement functions of the four agencies responsible for fisheries administration, maritime surveillance, customs enforcement and border control, has begun patrols and law enforcement activities in the Diaoyu Islands waters.

-- From Aug. 7 morning to Aug. 8, the CCG ships drove the fishing boats of the Japanese right-wing activists, which were escorted by ships from Japan Coast Guard, away from waters off the Diaoyu Islands after monitoring them for 28 hours and 36 minutes.