Chinese Ships Conduct Patrol Mission Close to Disputed Islands in East China Sea

"On November 6, Chinese Coast Guard ships with serial numbers 2401, 2101, 2502 and 35115 have went on a patrol in the waters of the Diaoyu islands that belong to China," SOA said in a statement published on its website.

The incident took place at approximately 10:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT), when Chinese vessels entered what Japan says are its territorial waters. The ships were gone less than two hours later.

Japan's Foreign Ministry filed a protest through its embassy located in Beijing, saying that the uninhabited islets are "an inherent territory of Japan." Tokyo is said to have filed at least 32 protests this year over similar incidents.

The territorial dispute over the East China Sea islands, involving China, Japan and Taiwan, has lasted for decades, with Beijing claiming that the islets had been part of its territory since the 14th century. Chinese officials have also pointed out that Japanese maps issued in 1783 and 1785 marked the islands as Chinese.

For its part, Tokyo has emphasized that the islands were part of Japan from 1895 until 1945. Following the end of World War II, they were administered by the United States. Washington handed them over to Tokyo in 1972.

China and Taiwan maintain that Japan has no rights to these territories.