China's largest fishery administration vessel, Yuzheng 311, begins patrolling the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea on March 17.
In an attempt to better protect Chinese fishermen and preserve national sovereignty in the sea area surrounding the Xisha Islands, which include Zhaoshu, Yongxing and the East Island, Yuzheng 311 made a weeklong voyage from its home port of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, before arriving in the islands.
The vessel was on a routine patrol mission, said a foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing on March 17, rejecting accusations of China "flexing its military might" by sending ships to the South China Sea. |