Discard political bias and ideological differences to sign
extradition treaties with China and help bring criminals to
justice, Western nations have been urged.
"We are trying hard to negotiate with developed countries to
conclude bilateral extradition treaties," Duan Jielong, director
general of the Department of Treaty and Law of the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs, told China Daily.
He admitted that some countries - which have abolished the death
penalty and do not allow extradition to nations where it is
applied, are hesitant about signing pacts with China, where the
penalty has been a longstanding integral part of the criminal
justice system.
"But cooperation has significantly improved since China
concluded the extradition treaty with Spain," Duan said.
In March, France became the third developed country after Spain
and Portugal to sign an extradition treaty. Under the agreement, no
extradited person will be executed.
China started to sign such treaties in the 1990s, and has
reached pacts with 29 nations.
Zhang Yong, director of the Law Research Institute of Nankai
University, said it was a "great compromise" for the country to
promise that the death penalty will not be applied to repatriated
suspects - mostly those who have fled after embezzling or misusing
public money.
"China is one of the strongest supporters of the United Nations
Anti-Corruption Convention," Zhang told China Daily. "Such
a judicial concession is a practical step to actively shoulder its
obligation to stamping down transnational corruption."
Besides, the country has also played an active part in
anti-terrorism extradition treaties and fulfilled its treaty
obligations.
Though some countries do not have an extradition treaty with
China, a few criminal suspects have been sent home.
This includes the transfer earlier this month of Yuan Tongshun,
the former general manager of a State-owned enterprise in
Liaoning.
Yuan is accused of embezzling a large amount of public money
from September 2003 to March 2004. It was the first time Japan has
handed over a Chinese national suspected of corruption.
Sources at the Ministry of Public Security said around 800
suspects of the country wanted for economic crimes are at large
abroad.
(China Daily May 28, 2007)
