A joint Chinese sea and air patrol is being carried out in the South China Sea for the first time.

Wu Jiansheng heads the Maritime Safety Administration for the province of Guangdong.

"In view of complicated maritime environment and wide navigable waters, we need a helicopter to join the patrol."

The helicopter will be patrolling for illegal fishing and overloading.

It's also tasked with carrying out rescue operations at sea.

Yongxing Island, the largest of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, has an area of two square kilometers.

The island serves as the seat of the prefecture-level city of Sansha of Hainan Province.