SHANGHAI -- China's new law allowing its coast guard vessels to fire on foreign ships in Chinese waters does not target any specific country, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters on the sidelines of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Sunday.
The legislation, which grants quasi-military status to the coast guard, is in line with international law and practice, Wang said. It took effect Feb. 1, prompting concerns in Japan that Beijing could intensify activities near the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyu.
