China said Tuesday that two Americans detained by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) were not "within the territory of China".

A report by the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency said that the country detained two American women as they were "illegally intruding into the territory of the DPRK by crossing the DPRK-China border."

When asked to comment on the incident at a regular press briefing, Qin Gang said the two were not in Chinese territory and told reporters to ask for more information directly from relevant countries.

Pyongyang said the authorities were "investigating the case," while the United States was reported to have requested the DPRK to release the two journalists as soon as possible.

US State Department spokesman Robert A. Wood said the country was in contact with the DPRK through the Swedish embassy in Pyongyang to ascertain the truth.

(Xinhua News Agency March 25, 2009)