Fishing boats have set sail from ports in China as authorities lifted an annual ban on fishing in parts of the East China Sea, including waters near Taiwan.

The Chinese government prohibits fishing in waters in certain areas from May. It says the annual ban is put in place to protect marine resources.

About 200 boats headed out to sea from a port in Quanzhou in the southern province of Fujian on Tuesday, escorted by a Chinese government ship. Firecrackers were set off to celebrate the opening of the fishing season.

Local authorities put a notice at the port, as they do every year, to announce that fishing in diplomatically sensitive zones is forbidden.

The parts of the East China Sea where China lifted the ban include waters off the Senkaku Islands. Japan controls the islands. The Japanese government maintains that the islands are an inherent part of Japan's territory. China and Taiwan claim them.

In early August, the local authorities also issued a notice calling on fishers not to approach waters near Taiwan.

Observers say the officials apparently want to avoid further increasing tensions over the Taiwan Strait.

The Chinese military conducted days of drills around Taiwan, following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit there in early August.

A person with knowledge of the local fishing industry said fishers have been prohibited from operating in sensitive waters in the past several years. He added that if military drills are held, fishers will also have to avoid those areas too.