Chinese border police have taken on a tough, new assignment: marriage counseling. Police officials say the policy, dubbed "love the people, consolidate the borders" makes sense.

They say that happy people trust authorities and this makes the borders safer. Chen Weiming, director of the Ministry of Public Security's frontier bureau, says, "It provides a protective screen for the social and economic development of the country in this important strategic period."

He says duties for border police range from advising Mongolian herders on getting the best prices, to defusing family arguments. Chen declined to give details about asylum seekers entering China from North Korea.

He continues, "The situation along the North Korea border is good, though there are foreigners and illegal immigrants... Our staff and soldiers are working on it and it will be dealt with properly."