衛星画像顯示中國北韓邊境有数十條違法越境路線

A few weeks ago the Yomiuri News on-line reported the following:

中朝国境に違法な越境ルート数十本…衛星画像で

2014年08月25日 22時32分

　【瀋陽＝蒔田一彦】中国の華僑向け通信社・中国新聞社（電子版）は２５日、中国公安省が、地球観測用の人工衛星の撮影画像を分析した結果、中国と北朝鮮の国境地帯や、新疆ウイグル自治区で違法な越境ルートが合わせて数十本見つかったと報じた。

　中朝国境では密輸が横行しているとされるが、中国が違法越境ルートの存在を公表するのは極めて異例。情報は、中国国家宇宙局がホームページ上で発表したが、２５日午後までに削除された。

　在中国の外交筋は「中朝関係が悪化する中、国境の人やモノの動きの監視を強化する中国の姿勢の表れではないか」との見方を示した。韓国の聯合ニュースは、「北朝鮮住民の脱北ルートや、中国で社会問題となっている北朝鮮産麻薬の密輸入ルート遮断を狙ったもの」との分析を伝えた。

(試譯文)

   On the 25th (August) the China News Service (electronic edition), a China news agency for overseas Chinese, reported that in total tens of illegal cross-border routes were found at the border region in China and North Korea, and also in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, after China’s Public Security Bureau had analyzed the photo-pictures taken by an earth observation satellite.

   Although it was known that on the China-North Korea border smuggling was rampant, it was very exceptional that China released the existence of illegal cross-border routes. Although the information was announced in the homepage of the China state space agency, it was deleted in the afternoon of the 25th.

   A diplomatic source in China held the view that "it may be a manifestation of China’s posture to strengthen the surveillance on border people and the movements of object as China-DPRK relations turn worse". South Korean Union News said their analysis was that "it aims at North Korea residents' escaping route from the North, and tries to block drug smuggling route from North Korea which is causing social problems in China".

So the relationship between China and North Korea is far from friendly.