A Chinese man wanted in connection with a 20-million-yuan ($2.9 million) fraud case has been repatriated from Canada where he lived for seven years, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said in an online statement.

Cui Zili is one of the first criminals deported from Canada since the country and China issued a joint statement pledging to strengthen cooperation on repatriating fugitives in line with their respective laws.

Cui is alleged to have worked with Deng Xinzhi and Chen Quanshan in a scam that ran from January to August 2002, by posing as an employee with the China Life Insurance Co, the country's largest insurer.

The trio allegedly used fake seals as well as expired insurance papers and invoices to sign contracts worth 24.5 million yuan, with the fifth research institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and the Chinatex grains and oils import and export corporation.

Cui went to Canada in January 2003 and Canadian authorities finally returned him to China on Wednesday, the MPS said.

Deng Xinzhi was repatriated from Canada on Aug 22, 2008, for his role in the same alleged fraud. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Beijing No 1 Intermediate People's Court in June last year, according to chinacourt.org, a website affiliated to the Supreme People's Court of China.

Chen Quanshan was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in 2005 after he surrendered to police in May 2004.

"The Chinese police attach great importance to international cooperation in seizing suspects in criminal cases," the MPS statement said.

Cui's repatriation showcased China and Canada's determination to uphold the law and safeguard justice, the MPS said. The ministry also expressed hope for law enforcement departments of both countries to enhance cooperation.

In a joint statement issued in Beijing in December 2009, China and Canada pledged to strengthen cooperation on combating transnational crimes and repatriating fugitives in accordance with their respective laws.

However, Canada still hosts a number of Chinese people wanted in connection with economic crimes, including Lai Changxing, the lead suspect in China's most notorious smuggling operation valued at $10 billion.

Lai, now living in Vancouver, is accused of masterminding the country's largest smuggling ring. He went to Canada in 1999 and Chinese authorities have been seeking his return to face charges of smuggling, bribery and tax evasion.

"This is another case showing the increasing cooperation between China and other countries in pursuing suspects", said Zhao Yu, a professor from the China People's Public Security University.

Zhao said since 2004, when the United States police deported Yu Zhendong back to China, the country has been strengthening efforts in pursuing fugitives abroad.

Yu Zhendong, a former director of Bank of China, escaped to the US after embezzling $482 million from 1993 to 2000.

"But extradition and deportation of criminal suspects from Western countries, which are favorite destinations for fugitives, are still very difficult due to legal differences between China and other countries, " Zhao said.

Xinhua contributed to the story