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)