FM Spokesman: No Right of Asylum in Embassies
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan said Tuesday that foreign embassies in China have no right to give asylum to citizens from a third country.
The Republic of Korea (ROK) Embassy in Beijing told the Chinese side that several people who claimed to be citizens of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea entered the ROK embassy and asked to go to ROK, according to Kong.
In accordance with international and relevant Chinese laws, foreign embassies in China do not have the right to give asylum to third-country citizens, so China was urging the ROK to hand over these people to the Chinese authorities, Kong said.
China Hopes India, Pakistan Settle Dispute Peacefully
China hopes that India and Pakistan both exercise restraint and seek peaceful ways to settle their dispute, said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kong Quan in Beijing Tuesday.
Kong said that China is a friendly neighbor to both India and Pakistan and has expressed deep concern over the tense situation between Indian and Pakistan, and has been making active efforts to promote peace between the two countries.
He said that China sincerely hopes that India and Pakistan will treasure peace and stability in south Asia and exercise the utmost restraint, and settle their disputes peacefully through negotiations and dialogues.
He said Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan has conveyed China's principled stance to both Pakistan and India, and has talked over the phone with US Secretary of State Colin Powell to explain China's position on the issue.
(Xinhua News Agency May 28, 2002)
