China sends aircraft to patrol Diaoyu Islands.

A Chinese marine surveillance plane was sent to join vessels patrolling the territorial waters around the Diaoyu Islands on Thursday morning, according to China's maritime authorities.

The plane, B-3837, arrived in the area at about 10 a.m. and conducted joint patrols with a fleet of four surveillance ships, said a statement issued by the State Oceanic Administration on Thursday afternoon.

The fleet declared the Chinese government's stance and ordered the Japanese ships that had entered China's territorial waters to leave the area immediately, the statement said.