China sends patrol ships to islands at center of dispute with Japan September 11, 2012 -- Updated 0504 GMT (1304 HKT) The Japanese government has announced plans to buy the islands But China disputes the move and has sent ships to nearby waters Beijing says it has a plan to "safeguard" the sovereignty of the islands Beijing (CNN) -- Two Chinese patrol ships have arrived near a disputed set of islands in the East China Sea that Japan has announced plans to bring under public ownership, Chinese state media said Tuesday. The state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the two vessels from China Marine Surveillance had "reached the waters around the Diaoyu Islands," which Japan calls the Senkaku Islands. The marine surveillance agency has "drafted an action plan for safeguarding the sovereignty" of the islands and will "take actions pending the development of the situation," Xinhua reported, citing unidentified sources at the agency. The Japanese government said Monday that it planned to acquire the group of small islands from the Kurihara family, a private Japanese owner. At a meeting Tuesday, it approved the purchase for 2.05 billion yen ($26.2 million), according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura. CNN's Shao Tian in Beijing and Junko Ogura in Tokyo contributed to this report.