Thewesternbalkans
During the official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Belgrade in May this year, an Extradition Agreement was signed between China and Serbia. According to a publication by Radio Free Europe, the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Serbia is currently coordinating with other competent institutions the preparation of a draft law on extradition with China. After its approval by the parliament, the procedure for ratification of the treaty between Serbia and China will begin.
According to RFE/RL, Serbia has extradited five Chinese citizens in the past five years, and there are currently 3,433 Chinese citizens registered in the country.
Comments: The visa-free regime between China and Serbia and the existence of a direct air connection facilitate the arrival of a large number of Chinese in Serbia. The influx of tourists and Chinese citizens in Serbia is also associated with the increase in Chinese investment and loans for projects under the One Belt, One Road Initiative (BRI).
The extradition agreement, which will regulate the bilateral extradition of citizens accused of crimes, is of particular importance to Beijing not only for the return of criminals but also of political dissidents and, in particular, separatists from the Uyghur community in the country.
China has signed extradition treaties with many countries, including the United States, Germany, Belarus, Turkey, Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. But over the past five years, a number of European Union and NATO member states have rejected requests from China to extradite Uyghurs due to suspicions that they would face repression, torture or other human rights violations at home.
The new extradition agreement between China and Serbia will deepen the network of legal security arrangements between the two countries in recent years. In 2019 Beijing and Belgrade have signed an agreement on joint police patrols, allowing Chinese police to work alongside their Serbian counterparts to deal with the influx of Chinese tourists and workers into Serbia. Belgrade is also home to one of the unofficial Chinese “police stations” used by Chinese authorities to pressure disloyal Chinese citizens abroad.
