Representatives of the Chinese and Philippine governments exchanged the ratification documents of a bilateral extradition treaty in Manila on Friday.

"The extradition treaty will lend crucial support to existing bilateral cooperation frameworks on law enforcement and judicial matters, particularly drug trafficking and transnational crimes," Philippine Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo said on the exchanging ceremony in his office.

Chinese Ambassador Li Jinjun said on behalf of the Chinese government that both countries' judicial sectors will benefit from the extradition treaty, which serves as an applicable legal instrument to deter and crack down crimes.

The treaty marks a series of new progress in police affair cooperation between the two neighboring countries, Li added.

According to the treaty provisions, it will enter into force on the 30th day after the date of the exchange of Instruments of Ratification. It covers offenses punishable by imprisonment of more than one year or a more severe penalty under the laws of both countries.

The treaty excludes political offenses, military offenses, and offenses on account of a person's race, religion, gender, nationality or political opinion.

An extradition treaty facilitates the exchange of wanted criminals from the country where they are found and prevent them from escaping punishment by fleeing to the country of the contracting party.

China and the Philippines signed the treaty on Oct. 30, 2001, in Beijing, at the same time they signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation Against Illicit Traffic and Abuse of Narcotic Drugs and another accord concerning cooperation on at least 13 transnational crimes.

Source: Xinhua