The new cross-strait justice agreement

This is a major positive development that, if enacted, will close an all-too-easy escape route.

For years, China has been to Taiwanese criminals what Mexico historically was to U.S. criminals — a place close to home to lay low and hide out. And while Hollywood movies might give the impression that a run to Mexico is a get-out-of-jail-free card, the reality is that through negotiations and treaties, a U.S. fugitive who takes flight south of the border today runs a high risk of detection and a very decent chance of being repatriated.

The United States Marshal Service Web site reports that in 2008, over 100 U.S. fugitives were returned to the U.S. from Mexico. The U.S. Marshals today maintain a permanent field office in Mexico tasked with hunting American criminals who seek refuge in America's southern neighbor.

Taiwan is a small island with a large population. This makes smuggling and escape by small ocean craft relatively simple. Taiwan has made strides in securing its sea borders, but with enough financial incentive, anyone can hire a fishing boat for a 131 to 180 kilometer sprint across the Taiwan Strait.

In reality, however, most of the Taiwanese fugitives hiding out in China got there on a normal commercial flight. Such fugitives usually get out of Taiwan just before the net was expected to drop, either through an illicit tip-off or by instinct that the jig was up.

Once in China, the official line has been that as long as no mainland Chinese laws are broken, the fugitive from Taiwan is generally welcome to stay.

There are now at least 84 high profile, mainly white-collar, Taiwanese criminals hiding in China. A few of the more notable ones include former Legislative Yuan Speaker Liu Sung-pan, who skipped out on a four-year sentence and Chen Yu-hao, the former head of the Tuntex Group.

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