Sino-Thai example of curbing cross-border crimes

A screen grab from state broadcaster CCTV shows that illegal immigrants were repatriated from Thailand to China on Thursday.

China's top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng is on an official visit to Thailand, the first stop on his two-nation tour, which will also take him to Indonesia. For China and Thailand, which just celebrated the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the visit once again highlights the importance of the two countries' goodwill and cooperation.

Among the past and ongoing cooperative projects between the two countries, those in the law enforcement field have been particularly fruitful and have set a good example for Sino-Thai relations and Chinese diplomacy with other neighboring countries.

Thailand was the first country to sign an extradition treaty with China, which took effect in the 1990s. The two countries have also signed other treaties and agreements, including those on cooperation in police and judicial work, which have provided legal and procedural grounds for joint law enforcement operations.

Earlier this month, 109 illegal immigrants, some of whom are suspected of being implicated in terrorist activities or criminal offenses, were repatriated from Thailand to China.

Amid the ongoing crackdown on corruption and other major economic crimes in China, Chinese police have worked with their Thai counterparts to capture fugitives in Thailand and bring them back to the country. China, on its part, has deported dozens of suspects wanted by Thai police in recent years.

Also, the two countries are working closely to check human trafficking and drug-related crimes under several multilateral frameworks.

Thai authorities provided a great deal of help to China in busting Myanmarese drug lord Naw Kham and his armed drug-trafficking gang that were behind the high-profile murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong River in 2011. The joint operations were conducted by China and Thailand, as well as Laos and Myanmar. The four countries also decided to set up the Law Enforcement Cooperation mechanism for monitoring activities along the Mekong River after the case. The initiative has seen more than 30 joint patrols along the river.

These moves have helped curb crime - from fraud and corruption to terrorism - and maintain security in China, Thailand and the Mekong River region.

Moreover, with intensified exchanges and growing consensus, the law enforcement cooperation is likely to be expanded to cover more fields, including cyberspace security. The collaboration will help maintain a good environment for the China-proposed "Belt and Road Initiative".

Cross-border and transnational crimes are a common problem for many countries and, to solve the problem, all parties, especially neighboring countries, need to cooperate and work together.

The partnership between China and Thailand is a good example of how close and practical cooperation, based on mutual trust, can benefit all countries and regions concerned.

Xinhua News Agency