China yesterday said it has always followed relevant laws and the principles of humanitarianism in handling North Korean people who enter China illegally, as the South Korean government again urged Beijing not to repatriate them.
"North Korean nationals entered China illegally for economic reasons. They are illegal border crossers, rather than so-called refugees," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said yesterday.
The statement came as South Korean President Lee Myung-bak asked China to deal with "North Korean refugees in accordance with international norms."
China also emphasized that it opposes "the internationalization and politicization of the issue," Hong said.
"The Human Rights Council is not the right place to discuss the issue," Hong added.
Wang Junsheng, a Korean affairs expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times China has the right to deal with illegal border crossers, and there are no grounds for other countries to criticize China.
Wang said China handles the issue based on international laws and agreements between China and North Korea.
The issue should be handled following some conventions, which were signed by the two nations over previous years, Wang added.
The issue is scheduled to be discussed during the meeting between foreign ministers from China and South Korea, which will be held in Seoul on March 2, AFP said.
During yesterday's conference, Lee also accused Pyongyang of trying to incite divisions within his country to impact elections later this year, as the government was trying to seek a breakthrough for the deadlock since North Korea cut off communications with the South after the death of Kim Jong-il.
"The North is trying to influence the election by sparking various feuds within the country," Lee said.
"South Korea's voters are not swayed by such things," he added.
"Pyongyang is planning to resume bilateral contacts with Seoul after South Korea's presidential election. Since Lee will not change his tough stance toward Pyongyang, and North Korea is not satisfied with Lee's government after Kim Jong-il's death," said Lü Chao, director of the Center of South Korea studies of the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences.
However, North Korea would like to help restart the Six-Party Talks, since it has agreed to resume negotiations with the US, he said.
Glyn Davies, coordinator for US policy on North Korea, will hold dialogue about Pyongyang's nuclear program with North Korea's negotiator Kim Kye-gwan today in Beijing, as the first substantive contact since Kim Jong-il died.
"I find it a positive sign that relatively soon after the transition in North Korea, it has chosen to get back to the table with us. That's a good thing," he said.
Agencies contributed to this story