Chinese naval fleet patrols Meiji Reef

A People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy fleet conducting patrol and training missions on the South China Sea patrolled the Meiji Reef, a fishing area and shelter for Chinese fishermen, on Wednesday.

The reef is among a number of islets and reefs near the Nansha Islands that have been patrolled by the fleet over the last couple of days.

The fleet on Wednesday also extended regards to other navy and fishery administration ships that have been conducting regular patrols in the waters surrounding the reef.

Fleet commander Jiang Weilie visited the fishery administration vessel 45001 and was briefed by a captain on the vessel's law enforcement efforts.

Comprising four ships from the PLA Navy's Nanhai Fleet, the fleet left the city of Sanya in south China's Hainan Province on March 19 to conduct patrols and deep-sea training missions in the South China Sea and the western Pacific Ocean.