Beijing, Ottawa to work out an extradition treaty

China and Canada agreed on Monday to start discussions on a bilateral extradition treaty that would facilitate the return of corrupt fugitive Chinese officials who remain at large in Canada.

The agreement was reached at the China-Canada High-Level National Security and Rule of Law Dialogue in Beijing, where discussions were held on ways to improve cooperation on issues such as law enforcement, combating transnational organized crime, judicial cooperation and exchanges on the rule of law.

In depth talks of an extradition treaty and the signing of an agreement on sharing the recovered stolen assets will occur in the coming months, while negotiations are finalized on a yearlong memorandum of understanding on a pilot project in which Chinese experts will be invited to help identify Chinese immigrants who use fraudulent means to enter Canada.