China-Canada negotiations seek return of Chinese fugitives in Canada

China and Canada negotiated a bilateral extradition treaty that will facilitate the return of corrupt Chinese fugitives who are still at large in Canada, according to Communist Party of China's Central Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs.

An agreement was reached at the Second China-Canada High–Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue in Ottawa, during which both sides exchanged their views and decided to enhance cooperation on important matters, including law enforcement, counter-terrorism, cyber security and combating cross-border organized crime.

They also decided to strengthen judicial cooperation based on their signed Treaty of Judicial Assistance on Criminal Matters and continued negotiations on extraditing the fugitives and transferring those convicted.

“Such a negotiation marks great progress between the two countries towards formally signing the extradition treaty in the near future,” Huang Feng, a law professor at Beijing Normal University, said.

The third China-Canada dialogue will be held in Beijing in 2018.

In recent years, a number of corrupt Chinese officials have escaped to popular destinations, including the US and Canada to avoid arrest, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Moreover, they sent billions of yuan in illegal assets to their foreign accounts via money laundering and underground banks, the ministry said.

Since April 2015, when Interpol issued red notices to hunt down 100 major corrupt Chinese officials who escaped abroad and confiscate their illegal assets, more than 10 corrupt officials have returned from Canada to face trial.