China has protested what it called sensationalized Japanese reports about a Chinese vessel conducting research in the sea area near the Diaoyu Islands.

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Spokeswoman Jiang Yu with the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that China's scientists have the right to conduct maritime surveys on the islands and the adjacent sea zone.

On Monday, another official from the Ministry met officials from the Japanese Embassy in China in Beijing, expressing China's concern over the reports.

The Chinese official said the Diaoyu Islands and the neighboring sea area have been Chinese territory since ancient times, and that China has uncontested sovereignty over the area.