The Fujian Coast Guard has organized fleets to continuously strengthen law enforcement patrols around the waters near Jinmen, an island off the coast of Fujian, since September, a spokesman for the China Coast Guard said on Sunday.

Zhu Anqing, a spokesman for the coast guard's East China Sea bureau, said in a news release that the coast guard's action has ensured a safe start to the fishing season and further enhanced control over the relevant sea areas.

These patrols effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests, as well as the lives and property, of Chinese fishermen, including those from the Taiwan region, and ensure a normal navigation and operational order in the waters between Xiamen and Jinmen, he said.