China is pumping up its efforts to repatriate North Korean escapees.

According to a source in Shenyang, China, Chinese police have detected and detained dozens of North Korean escapees hidden in the Chinese city’s Korean community since August.

China was suspected of conducting politically motivated crackdowns on North Korean escapees ahead of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s three-day visit to Pyongyang to mark the two countries’ 60-year-long friendship.

But the Shenyang source rejected the suspicions, saying that North Korean criminals --- including drug smugglers --- were also found and detained during the crackdown.

The North Korean escapees were found to have crossed into China over the Tumen River.