Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said Thursday that it is
within China's sovereignty to decide how to handle the five people
who broke into the Japanese Consulate-General in Shenyang two weeks
ago.
"China does not need to consult with other country on this,'' Kong
said. "No other country has the right to interfere.''
He
was responding to Japan's contention that more discussions are
needed on the disputes over international laws.
Japan has accused Chinese guards at its consulate of violating
diplomatic conventions by seizing the five people after they had
crossed the threshold of the consulate.
Kong said China denies the accusation and urges Japan to adopt a
calm and responsible attitude.
The five people, who Kong Thursday confirmed were from the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea, were taken by Chinese police
after breaking into the Japanese Consulate-General in Northeast
China's Shenyang on May 8.
A
statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry said "the Chinese side
has appropriately dealt with the five persons,'' and they
reportedly arrived in the Republic of Korea (ROK) Thursday via the
Philippines.
China handled the incident according to international and domestic
laws and took the humanitarian spirit into consideration, Kong
said.
Kong pledged that China will follow diplomatic conventions and take
all necessary measures to guarantee the safety of the foreign
embassies and consulates in China.
In
other news, Kong welcomed the development of Russian-US ties,
saying the cooperation between the two largest nuclear powers will
contribute to world peace, security and stability.
Kong was referring to the agreement signed between Russia and the
United States earlier this month to cut their strategic offensive
arsenals.
The issue was also addressed by Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan and
his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov, during their telephone
conversation on Wednesday.
According to Kong, Tang hopes that Russia and the United States
will further safeguard international disarmament and arms control
systems.
(China Daily May 24,
2002)