This research aims to identify the motivations behind China’s refugee policy through a comparative historical analysis of the mass influx of refugees from two neighboring states: Vietnam, starting in the late 1970s, and North Korea starting in the 1990s. The study argues that similar motivations, grounded in China’s concerns regarding sovereignty, national security and the regional balance of power, generated contrasting responses to the two groups of refugees. This research briefly reviews the causes, development and nature of the two refugee crises, and then analyzes China’s Janus-faced refugee policy with its two different responses. Last, this research indicates China’s recent positive engagements with refugee issues and emphasizes the significance of China’s role in regional refugee protection.
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