China says it Attaches 'Great Importance' to Japanese Foreign Minister's Visit

China on Tuesday announced Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya’s visit starting Wednesday, saying the country attached “great importance” to his trip.

Chinese leaders and Foreign Minister Wang Yi will meet with Iwaya during the trip, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning.

She also said that China would adjust the ban on Japanese seafood imports gradually when asked about the country’s timetable for the resumption of aquatic products from Japan.

China blocked imports of Japanese seafood last year in response to Japan’s discharge of treated nuclear water from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant, saying the release would endanger the fishing industry and coastal communities in eastern China.

The ban has hit Japanese seafood exporters to China.

At the briefing, Mao hit out at the U.S. fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that President Joe Biden signed into law on Monday.

Arguing that the act “contains negative content related to China,” Mao accused the U.S. of “undermining the sovereignty, security, and development interests of China, and interfering with the efforts of both sides to stabilize the China-U.S. relationship.”

The bill authorizes 5.5 billion dollars for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative and provides Taiwan with 300 million dollars to shore up its defense capability.

Separately, Mao expressed China’s support to the Hong Kong police’s arrest warrants for six activists based overseas, with bounties set at $1 million Hong Kong dollars for information leading to their arrests.

According to the warrants, the six are wanted for national security offenses such as secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces. They include Tony Chung, the former leader of the now-defunct pro-independence group Studentlocalism.

The latest round of warrants signals that the Hong Kong government is targeting vocal critics based abroad.