China welcomed a Canadian court's decision to extradite the nation's most-wanted fugitive, but lawyers and rights activists expressed doubt on Friday that he would receive a fair trial back home, Reuters reported. Canada's Federal Court cleared the way on Thursday for the extradition of Lai Changxing, possibly as early as Saturday, dismissing concerns that he could be tortured or executed once he arrives back in China. . Lai's deportation would remove a thorn that has long plagued Sino-Canadian relations. Beijing has sought the deportation of Lai, accusing him of running a multibillion-dollar smuggling operation in the southeastern city of Xiamen in the 1990s in one of China's biggest political scandals in decades. Lai fled to Canada with his family in 1999 and claimed refugee status, saying the allegations against him were politically motivated. "The Chinese government's stance on Lai Changxing returning to China to stand trial is clear. We welcome the Canadian court's decision," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The verdict was issued just after the visit of Canada's foreign minister, John Baird, to China, where he said "both the Canadian people and the Chinese people don't have a lot of time for white collar fraudsters". . China promised Canada in a diplomatic note that Lai would not be tortured or executed and that Canadian officials would have access to him. -- SPA
