China extradites murder suspect from Russia

Chinese police have recently extradited a murder suspect from Russia who had been on the run for 27 years, the Ministry of Public Security said on Friday.

The suspect, surnamed Xu, is accused of stabbing an on-duty police officer with a knife in Yanji, Jilin province, on the night of Jan 23, 1996, before fleeing to Russia, according to the ministry.

In January 2002, Xu managed to become a Russian citizen and obtain a Russian passport by using false identification.

The ministry said it worked with Russia and Interpol to bring Xu to justice. In December 2021, Russian police arrested him in Volgograd.

After confirming Xu's identity and determining that he illegally obtained Russian citizenship, he was handed over to China, it added.

"Law enforcement and security cooperation between China and Russia is developing in a sound, stable and pragmatic manner and playing an important role in safeguarding the national security of the two countries and cracking down on transnational crimes," the ministry said.

Over the past decade, law enforcement authorities from both countries have exchanged a number of fugitives, which fully demonstrates the mutual trust the two have developed in each other, it said.