China urged Japan to steer clear of "internal issues,” including Hong Kong and Xinjiang, as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga prepares to meet U.S. President Joe Biden later this month.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, that he hoped Japan could treat China’s development from an "objective and rational” perspective, rather than be led by the rhythm of countries that are biased against China, according to a statement on Tuesday from the government in Beijing. While Japan is a U.S. ally, it also has a Treaty of Peace and Friendship with China, the statement continued.

Motegi reiterated in the call Japan’s serious concern over a range of issues, including the situation in Hong Kong and Xinjiang, as well as China’s passage of a law allowing its coast guard to fire on foreign ships, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement.