Canada repatriates corruption suspects

Canada, a popular destination for Chinese people accused of corruption, repatriates dozens of Chinese nationals every year, according to the National Post.

So far this year, the country has returned 24 Chinese nationals, while the previous Conservative government sent back more than 330, the newspaper reported on Sunday, citing data from the Canada Border Services Agency.

Last year, the number reached a 10-year high of 43, while 2010 saw 18, the lowest number, the newspaper said. It added that the statistics do not detail the crimes the people are accused of committing.

More than one-quarter of China's 100 most-wanted graft suspects are believed to be in Canada, but the two countries do not have a formal extradition treaty.

"The return of inadmissible persons is a normal part of the bilateral relationship with any country. Nothing has changed with this policy since the change in government in 2015," Nicholas Dorion, of the CBSA, told the newspaper. Since 1999, a working group, composed of officials from both countries, has met regularly to discuss law enforcement issues, including the return of fugitives to China.

China has vowed to search beyond its borders for corrupt officials and business executives, and assets they are believed to have stolen.

The United States, Australia and Singapore are also among the most popular destinations for Chinese fugitives, as a result of a lack of bilateral extradition treaties and differences in national legal systems, according to China's Ministry of Public Security.

Chinese and US judicial authorities have quickened negotiations on the repatriation of the five most-wanted Chinese officials on the run in the US, a senior official from the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said this week. The official, who declined to be identified, said "achievements have been made" on a number of major cases through judicial and diplomatic channels.

During a visit to Canada in September, Premier Li Keqiang and Canadian officials signed a bilateral treaty to ensure the return of stolen assets.