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I spent the last two weeks of February in China, travelling along the Sino-North Korean border. I have not been to the area for four years, and of course, it has changed quite a bit ― and it seems that the most significant of all changes have occurred on the border itself.
In the past, the international media often wrote about Chinese measures aimed at beefing up border security. However, as a frequent visitor to this area in the years 2005-2009, I had to smile at such statements. From my own experience, as well as those of trusted contacts, I can say with some confidence that China did not care much about border security until recently.
So, I was surprised to see a barbed wire fence erected across the entire stretch of the border. The construction of the fence began in 2010, and was largely completed in late 2012. There are said to be parts of the border where the fence does not yet extend. These areas though are very remote, and construction is reportedly continuing in those areas, so the fence will encompass the entire border very soon.
Admittedly, my local contacts told me that the newly erected fence is less formidable an obstacle than it might appear. Part of the fence was built by the Chinese military, but small local companies have built most of it. The latter have done a rather lousy job – perhaps fortunately: the tension of the wire is not high, and anyone can pull the barbed wire apart and climb through the fence.
CCTV cameras and motion detectors though are also becoming ubiquitous along the border. A few years ago, such high-tech equipment could be found only near major towns and bridges, but it has now been installed along almost the entire length of the border. I was told that. Unlike the largely symbolic fence, this equipment is efficient and helps the Chinese police and border guards to intercept many crossers.
Indeed, it seems that for the first time in decades, the Chinese police have begun to look for North Korean illegal migrants. It would be an overstatement to say that the border is heavily patrolled, but patrols are at least occasionally seen in the area. This is a major change from the past; until recently the Chinese side remained largely unwatched.
Admittedly, the increase in border security on the Chinese side coincided with a far more considerable increase in security measures on the North Korean side. From around 2008 onward, the North Korean authorities began to dramatically increase the number of border controls in the area. Being aware of rampant corruption ― border guards turning a blind eye to smuggling and migration in exchange for bribes ― the North Korean authorities began to rotate the border guards with greater frequency.
These measures first began in 2008, and were beefed up in 2010, at the time when Kim Jong-un began his official assent to power. The North Korean rumor mill connected the dramatic increase in border security to Kim Jong- un's succession, but currently we have no way to verify its accuracy.
This increase in border security on the Chinese side seems to be one of factors behind the significant decrease in the number of North Korean refugees in China. While the international media still talks of a tens of thousands of North Koreans allegedly hiding in China, knowledgeable people in the area believe that these figures are grossly exaggerated.
They say that the number of illegal North Korean migrants who are residing in China at any given time hardly exceeds 10,000, and in all probability is significantly lower than that. Some local sources have estimated the number of North Korean refugees in the Yanbian area (historically the major target area of illegal cross-border migration) to be as low as 2,000.
This decrease is the result of many changes. The significantly improvement in border security on the Chinese side is just one of them, and probably not the most important reason.
It is not clear why the Chinese authorities have suddenly begun to take the border seriously. Some people speculate that China has decided to attempt to deter defection, because large refugee flows out of North Korea are potentially destabilizing for the regime in Pyongyang. Others speculate that China may be preparing for future problems in North Korea.
Whatever the reason, the days of an almost uncontrolled border are now gone. Getting into China from North Korea is possible, but it is now much challenging than it was.
Professor Andrei Lankov was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and now teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul. You can reach him at anlankov@yahoo.com.
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