China to offer fishing services off Diaoyu Islands

BEIJING - The Chinese fishery administration department will manage and provide services for fishing in waters near the Diaoyu Islands.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei made the comments at a regular press briefing on Monday afternoon.

The Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands were China's inherent territory, he said. Their adjacent waters were under China's jurisdiction and were traditional fishing grounds for Chinese fishermen, Hong said.

He added that whether Chinese fishermen would go fishing after the off season and how many would go depended on local conditions and the weather situation.