China approved the ratification of the extradition agreement with Serbia

China’s highest legislative body has approved the decision to ratify an extradition treaty with Serbia, Chinese state radio reported on September 12, according to Reuters.

The document is one of 28 agreements and treaties signed by Serbian and Chinese officials on May 8, 2024, during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Serbia.

Under Serbian law, the treaty must be ratified by parliamentarians before it can enter into force. The treaty must also be ratified by China.

It has not yet been placed on the agenda of the Serbian National Assembly.

The draft law on the ratification of the extradition treaty between Serbia and China is being prepared by the Ministry of Justice.

The text of the draft law is not available to the public.

The extradition treaty would open the door for the Chinese regime, which Freedom House describes as authoritarian and extremely repressive, to demand the extradition of its citizens from Serbian judicial authorities.

According to Safeguard Defenders, China has signed more than 60 bilateral extradition treaties to date, of which more than 40 have been ratified by national parliaments.

Since Xi came to power in 2012, Safeguard Defenders has documented nearly 70 attempts by the Chinese regime to extradite 400 people, most of them in Europe.

However, in the past five years, courts in twelve European countries have blocked extraditions requested by China, citing concerns that the extradited person could face repression and retaliation by the regime.

According to data obtained by Radio Free Europe in December 2024, Serbia has extradited five Chinese citizens to China in the past five years.

Serbia and China have maintained good diplomatic relations since the Serbian Progressive Party came to power in 2012.

The Chinese president first visited Serbia in 2016, when the two countries signed a Declaration on Strategic Partnership.

Eight years later, Belgrade was one of only three destinations on Xi’s European tour, which also included visits to France and Hungary.

Belgrade and Beijing have numerous joint projects in the fields of infrastructure and energy under China’s international “One Belt, One Road” initiative. The European Union has repeatedly warned Serbia that, as a candidate for membership in the bloc, it should ensure transparency in its cooperation with China, especially in the field of infrastructure.

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