China calls for extradition treaties to fight graft

Beijing, May 28: Chinese officials have called for Western countries to sign extradition treaties, the China Daily reported today, saying the country's use of the death penalty was no reason to avoid repatriating criminals.

Many Western countries do not have extradition treaties with China, citing the death penalty and lack of due process in its legal system, although Spain, Portugal and most recently France, have all signed agreements.

''We are trying hard to negotiate with developed countries to conclude bilateral extradition treaties,'' the newspaper quoted Duan Jielong of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Treaty and Law as saying.

China has told countries from which it was seeking suspects it would not impose the death penalty against those being repatriated.

But some countries have not been satisfied that such promises could be guaranteed.

Zhang Yong of the Law Research Institute at Nankai University called China's pledges not to apply the death penalty to repatriated suspects a ''great compromise'' that would help stamp out transnational corruption.

One of China's most wanted fugitives, Lai Changxing, has been living under limited house arrest in Canada for seven years, fighting deportation to China where he would face charges of running a smuggling empire.

The case has become a thorn in relations between Canada and China, even though Ottawa has supported Beijing's efforts to have Lai returned. He stands accused of running a multibillion-dollar operation that bribed officials to avoid taxes.

In a separate editorial, the China Daily accused Western countries of impeding efforts to fight graft, saying corruption was a ''universal evil'' and that it should be easy for countries to reach a consensus on how to stamp it out.

''But ironically, some developed Western countries continue to provide a haven for corrupt Chinese officials seeking to escape punishment for theft of public funds.'' More than 800 suspects wanted in China for economic crimes remain at large, it said.

''Fear of the death penalty or torture has been used by the fugitives to avoid extradition,'' the newspaper said. ''Yet talks should be the best way to iron out differences.''

Reuters>