China has angrily dismissed reports that it has drawn up contingency plans for the collapse of the regime in North Korea, including measures to contain an influx of refugees and prevent unrest from spilling over the countries’ porous border.

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) devised the measures last summer, according to Kyodo news agency, which reported the leaked documents this week. But experts said they did not signal that Beijing was losing faith in North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The documents, which Kyodo said it had obtained from unnamed Chinese military sources, include plans to detain North Korean leaders and set up refugee camps along the border, each able to accommodate up to 1,500 people.

In Beijing, a foreign ministry spokesperson said reports of the alleged contingency plans were “groundless”, according to Xinhua.