Haijian 137, a Chinese marine surveillance ship, patrols in the territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea on Feb. 10, 2013. A Chinese marine surveillance fleet, which includes the Haijian 50, Haijian 51, Haijian 66 and Haijian 137 ships, carried out regular patrol missions in the territorial waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on Sunday, the first day of the 2013 Spring Festival. (Xinhua/Zhang Jiansong)
A fleet of Chinese marine surveillance ships continued a regular patrol in waters surrounding the Diaoyu Islands on Sunday.
The Haijian 50, Haijian 51, Haijian 66 and Haijian 137 spotted Japanese ships following them during the patrol.
Crew members on the Haijian 137 broadcast a statement in Chinese and English to warn the Japanese ships that they had infringed on China's territory and demanded that the Japanese ships immediately leave, according to the fleet.
The fleet's crew members also extended Lunar New Year greetings to Chinese as they celebrate the ongoing Spring Festival holiday.
The patrol was the first to take place during the holiday.
Copyright ©1999-2011 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
