China publishes maritime law enforcement

BEIJING - The State Oceanic Administration (SOA) on Friday published a report on China's maritime administration and law enforcement efforts in 2011, according to Saturday's People's Daily.

According to the report, the country's marine surveillance agencies dispatched 892 planes and 14,795 vessels last year to monitor relevant activities, including those of 966 foreign ships and aircraft, in and over China's territorial waters.

The patrols aimed to monitor and administrate the illegal surveys, military scouts and oil and gas exploitations conducted by other countries as well as to supervise the oceanic scientific researches and the laying of submarine cables and pipes, the report said.

In 2011, the authorities launched 41,465 inspections and discovered 601 cases of illegal behavior, the report said.