China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Sunday that the nation's controversial new law allowing its coast guard to use weapons in waters it claims does "not target any specific country," while voicing hope for further improvement in relations with Japan.
As China says that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea are part of its territory, concern is mounting in Tokyo that the legislation could target Japanese vessels navigating around the uninhabited islets, which are known as the Diaoyu in China.
At a news conference on the sidelines of this year's annual session of the National People's Congress, China's parliament, Wang said the latest legislation is "in accordance with international law and practice."