Asia Times: China


	May 31, 2002	atimes.com

China

OPINION
Beijing's folly over North Korean refugees
By Zhang Tianguang

LUOYANG, China - Some foreign media and groups staged a well-planned farce outside the Japanese Consulate in Shenyang on May 8, and the Chinese military police fell right into their trap.

Two of a group of five Koreans rushed into the consulate, while the others were detained. The Chinese policemen then went into the consulate compound and dragged out the two Koreans, saying that they had received permission from the deputy consul, which Japan has denied. And the whole process was filmed and broadcast around the globe. As the Japanese media fanfared the incident, Tokyo's reaction grew into a boisterous protest.

The Japanese government accused Beijing of violating the Vienna Convention and demanded an explanation and the handover of the five Koreans to Japan. Beijing, on the other hand, quoted the same convention and asked Tokyo to stop defaming China, saying that it was China's duty to protect the safety of consular compounds. To justify its action, Beijing pointed out that an unidentified person with explosives had tried to enter the Japanese Consulate in Shenyang in March 1995, and had been grabbed by Chinese military police; and Japanese police had entered the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo in 1998 to drag out an "intruder" without Chinese permission.

Clearly, Sino-Japanese relations dropped to a new low after Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid an unexpected visit to the Yasukuni Shrine for war dead in April, the second such visit in nine months. And Japan's actions in expanding its military role in support of the US war on terror have drawn criticism from its neighbors, especially China.

At least three factors have been clearly shown in the diplomatic spat between the two countries. First, the foolishness of the Chinese government in dealing with North Korean refugees. The totalitarian government of Pyongyang has repressed its people and given them a hard time for far too long, which has created the refugee problem. The question is, why does China have to assume the burden and trouble just to save Pyongyang's face? The North Korean government has long caused trouble for China: starting with the Korean War in the 1950s, which cost more than a million Chinese lives, transformed China and America from friends into enemies, and gave China nearly 30 years of international isolation. What a cost to the Chinese people. And now the refugee problem. Many Chinese nowadays are wondering when Beijing will learn from its foolishness in dealing with the North Korean regime.

Second, the untrustworthiness of Japan. Many Chinese have a hard time trusting the Japanese government and its people: from whitewashing the atrocities committed against Asian people in its history books to visiting the Yasukuni Shrine by Koizumi. Japan has never been eager to help the North Korean refugees; its people never liked the Koreans or the Chinese. Just four hours before the consulate incident, the Japanese ambassador to Beijing ordered the expulsion of any North Koreans that sought asylum in consulates. In fact, the foolishness of the Chinese military policemen has helped Japan to escape its obligations. But Japan, in return, has used the incident to demonize China and to win political and diplomatic advantage.

Do the Japanese really want to help the Korean refugees on a humanitarian basis? Most Chinese doubt this. So, in addition to actively cooperating with United Nations refugee officials, the best thing for Beijing to do is, whenever the North Koreans, who number about 200,000 in China, make breaks for Japanese consulates in China, is to let them stay there. This would be the best way to test Japanese "nobility".

And third, China's recent detention of foreign missionaries who have assisted North Koreans in fleeing from hunger and repression will not help solve the refugee problem. Beijing might believe these missionaries' activities will encourage a flood of refugees. But such detentions damage China's international reputation.

Thus there is a real dilemma for Beijing. The ultimate resolution of the problem should go to Pyongyang; it should initiate reform and change its totalitarian nature of government. A prosperous and unified Korea would benefit not only the Korean people, but also its neighbors. In this respect, Beijing could give Pyongyang a jump-start.

Zhang Tianguang (zhangtianguang@yahoo.com) is a research fellow who studied American studies, as a civilian, at the People's Liberation Army's Foreign Language University in Luoyang, Henan province.