CHINA. EXTRADITION TREATIES WITH AUSTRALIA, FRANCE SET

April 24, 2008: China's top legislature approved extradition treaties with Australia and France. The treaty signed between China and Australia in September, 2007, covers issues such as extradition obligations, extraditable offences, reasons that can and should be used to refuse extradition, and property transfer as well as the settlement of disputes.
It was submitted by the State Council for review at the second session of the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress on April 22 and was ratified when the session ended on April 24.
The text of the treaty was not made public.
Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei says that the death penalty was a major problem during the treaty's negotiation, but the problem was properly solved after repeated discussions. (Sources: SinoFile Information Services, 28/04/2008)