China said on Monday that there were no North Korean defectors in the country and that it handles illegal entries into the country on the principles of international law.
Comments from China
During his press conference on Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stressed that there are “no so-called “DPRK defectors” in China. “People who illegally enter China for economic reasons are not refugees. They violate Chinese laws and the entry and exit order of China,” he added. Wang said that China handles such “illegal entries” under the “principles of both domestic and international laws and the spirit of humanitarianism.”
Wang further told reporters that at the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) last week, “more than 120 countries spoke highly of China’s human rights progress,” and “fully acknowledged” Beijing’s efforts to advance human rights.
The spokesperson claimed that through Chinese modernisation, Beijing aims to “better safeguard human rights.” China will always “advocate an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalisation.” It will also “work with the international community to unswervingly advance and protect human rights, proactively take part in global human rights governance, champion humanity’s common values, and build a community with a shared future for mankind to jointly make the world a better one,” he added.
Wang Wenbin: "There is no so-called 'DPRK defectors' in China. People who illegally entered into China for economic reasons are not refugees. With regard to these people, China handles them under the…spirit of humanitarianism."https://t.co/qEJtJqks4h
— Jonathan Cheng (@JChengWSJ) January 25, 2024
South Korea’s Inquiry
The comments from China came after South Korea submitted questions to the UN, seeking answers from China over the repatriation of North Korean citizens, earlier this month. Ahead of China’s UPR on 23 January, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lim Soo-suk said that the ministry’s “written questions include one on the refugee application procedure that is accessible to defectors from abroad, including North Korea.”
Seoul raised the issue of North Korean defectors crossing into China for work and Beijing repatriating them, on the basis of being “illegal immigrants.” It also questioned about ways to protect North Korean women and their children born in China, who are forced into human trafficking, forced marriages, and other forms of exploitation.
In December, South Korean human rights group Transitional Justice Working Group claimed that China had deported around 600 North Koreans in October 2023. Prior to this, UN human rights experts have also expressed concern over China’s repatriation of North Korean refugees and urged Beijing to respect the principle of “non-refoulement” guaranteed under international law.