BEIJING (PTI): In an escalation of its maritime boundary dispute with Japan, China has announced plans to survey the disputed islands in the East China Sea and asked its military to be combat ready.
China is to survey the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea as part of a programme of mapping its territorial islands and reefs, the official media here reported.
The first stage of the island surveying and mapping was launched in 2009 and monitoring of islands located within 100 km of the coastline has been finished, according to a document issued by the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The second stage will cover islands including the Diaoyu Islands, and this programme is part of the country's efforts to safeguard its maritime rights and interests.
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