China: March 22, 2002

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After letting 25 North Korean refugees (who had charged into the Spanish embassy) leave the country, the government is trying to round up and deport as many of the estimated 300,000 illegal migrants from North Korea as it can. China is trying to get the North Korean communists to institute economic reform in order to revive the inefficient economy. But so far the Korean communists have refused to move quickly and more starving Koreans illegally come across the border  into China. The North Koreans want to get to South Korea, or legally live among the ethnic Korean community in north China. But China does not want to embarrass it's long time ally North Korea by admitting there is a problem with illegal migrants. But to assist in rounding up North Korean migrants, China has allowed uniformed North Korea border police to operate in Chinese towns on the border, to assist in rounding up Koreans and taking them back to North Korea (for a quick trial, some prison time and more hunger.).