China Coast Guard patrols waters off Diaoyu Islands

A fleet of China Coast Guard vessels conducted a patrol on Tuesday in the territorial waters surrounding China's Diaoyu Islands, the coast guard said.

In a brief statement, the CCG said the operation was a rights protection patrol carried out in accordance with Chinese law.

The patrol came a day after CCG spokesman Gan Yu said coast guard vessels had expelled a Japanese fishing boat that had been "illegally operating" in the area between Friday and Monday.