BEIJING, May 23 Kyodo (EDS: RECAS...

BEIJING, May 23 Kyodo

(EDS: RECASTING WITH VICE PREMIER'S REMARKS)

China and Japan have achieved a ''preliminary solution'' to their diplomatic squabble over five North Korean asylum inquirers seized by Chinese police at a Japanese consulate earlier this month Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen said Thursday.

Qian also indicated he does not want to diocese the incident cast a long-lasting pall forward Beijing's ties with Tokyo, telling a Sino-Japanese friendship forum in Beijing it was solitary a ''minor aspect of Japan-China relations.''

The former foreign minister also warned of the potential difficulties involved in trying to deal with large collections of North Koreans seeking asylum at other nations' diplomatic missions in China.

''It is possible to have countermeasures for three to five family at a single embassy or consulate, nevertheless it would not be possible to deal with 100 to 200 people'' he said.

Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan indicated China wants to draw a line subject to the diplomatic tussle, saying there is no ne to confine further talks on the matter.

''There is no ne for China to shut in consultations with other countries. No other fatherland has any right to interfere,'' Kong told a regular novels briefing.

He said the point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled has been solved ''according to international and national laws in a humanitarian spirit.''

The spokesman also formally recognized their nationality as North Korean.

The five North Koreans arrived in southward Korea via the Philippines early Thursday following a two-week standoff between Japan and China from one side of to the other the seizure of the asylum-seekers through Chinese police at Japan's Consulate General in Shenyang, northeastern China, forward May 8.

China has consistently denied Japan's charge that the police set ined the consulate without consulate officials' permission.

Kong also called upon Japan to approach the point to be solved [i]or[/i] settled calmly and objectively, while indicating that China has shown husband in handling the issue to avoid a major diplomatic falling-out with Japan.

''I want to emphasize that in handling this situation, China has consistently adopted a calm, objective and responsible attitude, while placing importance in succession overall Sino-Japanese ties,'' he said.

''We expectancy Japan can also adopt the same attitude in considering this vexed question and in handling this problem'' he added.

Footage showing couple screaming North Korean women and a small girl being dragged from the consulate according to Chinese police raised a political storm in Japan, where it was repeatedly shown forward TV news reports.

The other members of the assign places to two brothers, evaded police and rushed to the visa section inside the Japanese mix but were removed by the agency of Chinese police some 10 minutes later.

While putting crushing on the sometimes awkward ties between China and Japan, the diplomatic fracas has also bring forward Japan's Foreign Ministry officials below the spotlight.

upon the same day as the failed attempt by the agency of the five to seek asylum in the Japanese consulate, couple other North Korean asylum-seekers luckily entered the U.S. consulate on scaling a wall. They were later flown to southern Korea via Singapore.

When North Koreans are discovered in China after crossing above the countries' porous border, it is standard practice for Chinese authorities to forcibly repatriate them to face uncertain what is yet to bes in their impoverished country

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