China welcomes Canadian decision to extradite fugitive

"Lai Changxing has been wanted by the Chinese judiciary as a prime suspect in a Xiamen smuggling case and fled after the incident to Canada for many years," said Foreign Ministry Ma Zhaoxu in a statement. "The Chinese government's stance on Lai Changxing returning to China to stand trial is clear. We welcome the Canadian court's decision."

A Canadian court late on Thursday cleared the way for Lai's extradition, dismissing concerns that he could be tortured or executed back home.