France is ready to sign an extradition treaty with China in the near future, said French Minister of Justice Pascal Clement in Beijing Friday.

The two countries have agreed on the specific contents of the agreement, Clement said. However, the signing date has yet to be decided.

The treaty is expected to cover a wide range of regulations, including some sensitive issues, Clement said.

Clement is on a China trip from Jan. 4 to 7 at the invitation of the Chinese Ministry of Justice. He met separately with Chinese State Councilor Zhou Yongkang, his counterpart Wu Aiying, and Jia Chunwang, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate.

During their meeting on Friday afternoon, Zhou Yongkang told Clement that China hopes to speed up the process of signing relevant judicial agreements with France, which will lay a solid legal foundation for bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Judicial cooperation between the two countries in the past include the training of Chinese lawyers in France and cooperation among courts. Since 2003, France has trained 60 Chinese judges and law officers.

France will be the second western country that sign extradition treaty with China following Spain. In April of 2006, China's top legislature ratified the extradition treaty between China and Spain.

(Xinhua News Agency January 6, 2007)