NEW YORK - Soon after Canada repatriated a Chinese man wanted in connection with a 1990s stock fraud case in China, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon voiced his hope to advance extradition matters with China as quickly as possible.

Zeng Hanlin, a business-man from South China's Guangdong province, arrived back in China last Thursday after being repatriated from Canada where he had lived for 12 years.

Zeng is alleged to have been involved in a major contract fraud from October 1997 to August 1998. He fled to Canada later.

"I have reassured my (Chinese) counterpart that we are doing everything possible to make sure that ultimately these people are repatriated back to China to be able to face justice," Cannon told China Daily Wednesday afternoon after his speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York. He was referring to the numerous high-profile Chinese fugitives now residing in Canada, in particular Lai Changxing, China's most wanted man.

The alleged leader of a smuggling operation that evaded billions of dollars in taxes and bribed government officials has been living in Canada since he fled China in 1999.

But Cannon said since Canada is based on the rule of law, "it is incumbent to let the courts play out what they have to play out".

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, while visiting China in December 2009 to mend diplomatic relations, said the Canadian "courts have not accepted our desire to have Lai (Changxing) extradited. Both we and the government in China would like to see Lai extradited."

Cannon did not say when Canada is likely to sign an extradition treaty with China anytime soon, but described that the procedure will consider the judicial systems in both countries. "We, before signing an extradition treaty, go out and look at the judicial system and legal system that is in place if it is compatible," he said.

"We make an assessment if it is compatible and we decide either to go forward or not to go forward," said Cannon, who became Canada's foreign affairs minister in October 2008.

Cannon admitted that Canada does not have a large number of extradition treaties in place. "Obviously with the United States we have agreements in place, but it's not with every other country. So it's a task that has not been dealt with by our people and justice system."

Canadian news reports show that the North American country has signed extradition treaties with only more than 50 countries in the world.

China does not seem the only country that has complained about the difficulty of extraditing fugitives from Canada. Countries such as the US, Mexico, the Philippines and Thailand have all voiced their grievances on the issue over the past years.

China has stepped up its pace in establishing extradition treaties with other nations over the past few years. The 32 extradition treaties China has inked include four with the developed countries of Spain, Australia, Portugal and France. In the treaties, China has promised not to seek capital punishment for extradited criminals based upon the requests of these countries. Death penalty is legal in China.

On a case-by-case basis, several corrupt officials on the run in Canada have also been repatriated back to China in recent years.

In January last year, Cui Zili, a Chinese fugitive wanted for his connection with a 20-million-yuan fraud case, was repatriated from Canada where he had been living for seven years. In August 2008, Deng Xinzhi, a key figure in the case, was also turned over to Chinese authorities.

The United Nations Anti-Corruption Convention, ratified by both China and Canada, requires signatories to cooperate closely on such issues. Before President Hu Jintao's visit to Canada last June, China and Canada also signed a memorandum to partner against crime.

According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, at least 580 fugitives accused of illegal fundraising, bank fraud, illegal transfer of funds abroad and contract fraud are on the run in other countries, most in North America and Southeast Asia, with Canada often cited as a haven for corrupt Chinese officials and fugitives.

China Daily