Mutual judicial assistance aims at cross-Strait harmony

However, judicial authorities from the two sides didn't have a cooperative mechanism, which created chances for criminal suspects to escape and hide in the other region.

Some cross-Strait criminal groups even took advantage of the judicial loopholes to commit human trafficking, drug selling, money laundering, smuggling and other severe crimes.

Under the Kinmen Agreement signed between Red Cross organizations across the Taiwan Strait in September 1990, the Chinese mainland and Taiwan had returned to the other side 38,936 criminals, criminal suspects and people guilty of illegal entry as of January 2007.

However, according to professor Wang Zhenmin, the Kinmen Agreement was limited to the handover of suspects, and such a practice had to be conducted through nongovernmental organizations-- without direct cooperation between the two sides' judicial authorities.

Other difficulties in collecting evidences and execution were also prevalent when dealing with cross-Strait crimes. Joint police action was rare.

According to the new agreement, the two sides will exchange crime-related information and help each other investigate cases and collect evidence. Each side is also responsible for helping the other to identify witnesses, seize and repatriate criminals and suspects.