China responds to ROK gunshots

China expressed grave concern on Wednesday over the Republic of Korea Coast Guard's warning shots fired toward Chinese fishing boats, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

China called on the ROK to protect the legal interests of Chinese fishermen and not engage in dangerous measures in their law enforcement process that could harm the crew members, Hua Chunying said in a news conference.

She was asked to respond to a news report from the Yonhap News Agency. The ROK Coast Guard fired just under 200 rounds and chased off dozens of Chinese fishing boats it claimed were in an ROK exclusive economic zone earlier this week, the report said.