BEIJING - A fleet of Chinese marine surveillance ships on regular patrol duty found several Japanese ships in waters around the Diaoyu Islands on Tuesday, according to the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

In a statement on its website, the SOA said after three Chinese ships spotted the Japanese ships in the waters surrounding the islands, the administration immediately ordered another five ships in the East China Sea to meet the three ships.

Organized in four formations, the eight Chinese ships monitored the Japanese ships from different angles, according to the statement.