BEIJING, July 26 (Itar-Tass) - China coastguard ships patrol the waters adjacent to the Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands, the State Oceanic Administration said in a report on Friday.

By sending the ships to the disputable area China has determined the clear position on its sovereignty, the report says.

The situation has remained tense since the middle of last year. Japan considers the islands its own territory. The situation aggravated when the Japanese government “nationalized” these islands. This policy aroused protest actions in China. Since then Chinese ships have patrolled the disputable islands and entered the zone that Japan names as its territorial waters.