China expels two Japanese boats caught spying in its waters

China has expelled two Japanese boats after they were caught carrying out "surveillance activities" in its territorial waters, authorities have said.

Chinese maritime law enforcers recently identified and expelled two Japanese boats that were caught carrying out illegal surveillance activities in China's territorial waters, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted the officials of State Oceanic Administration (SOA) and China Marine Surveillance as saying yesterday.

Routine patrols by China Marine Surveillance officers discovered two Japan Coast Guard survey boats in the East China Sea late Sunday, they said.

The Japanese survey boats left the waters after receiving a warning from the Chinese patrols, they said.

China Marine Surveillance is a paramilitary maritime law enforcement agency responsible for administering the country's coastal and territorial waters.

Chinese and Japanese naval forces often face tense stand-offs in the pacific as they patrol waters around disputed islands.