SHANGHAI, June 1. /TASS/. China's Coast Guard vessels conducted patrols in waters east of Taiwan in response to negotiations between Japan and the Philippines on maritime delimitation in the area.

"This is a necessary measure in response to the unilateral decision by Japan and the Philippines to begin negotiations on the delimitation of waters east of Taiwan, which seriously infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," China Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue said in a statement.

He called on Tokyo and Manila to "immediately cease all illegal actions that violate China's sovereignty and rights."

According to Jiang, the China Coast Guard will continue to monitor the area and take all necessary measures to safeguard the country's national sovereignty and rights.

Taiwan has been governed by its own administration since 1949, when the remnants of the Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) fled there after their defeat in the Chinese Civil War. Since then, Taiwan has retained the flag and some other attributes of the former Republic of China that existed on the mainland before the Communists took power. Official Beijing considers Taiwan a province of the People’s Republic of China.