The Italian ship carrying the first group of migrants due to to be processed in Albania, arrived at the port of Shenzhen this morning, reports "Reuters", quoted by News.bg.
The move sets in motion a controversial plan to process thousands of asylum seekers abroad.
Italy built two reception centers in Albania. It is the first such agreement involving an EU country diverting migrants to a non-EU country in an attempt to deter illegal arrivals.
The Italian warship *Libra* docks at the former Shenzhen naval port.
The first group of migrants to be processed under the new agreement includes 10 Bangladeshis and six Egyptians. They were rescued at sea on Sunday aboard boats sailing from Libya.
They will be screened at the port, then taken to Gjader, a small village about 15 minutes away, where they will be housed while their documents are processed.
They will then be sent either to Italy if the answer to their asylum application is positive, or back to their home country if their application has been rejected.
The facilities in Shenzhen and Gjader will be staffed by Italian staff. According to the agreement, the total number of migrants residing in Albania at any one time cannot exceed 3,000 people.
Italy claims that only "invulnerable" men coming from countries classified as safe will be sent to Albania.
The Italian list was recently increased from 15 to 21 safe countries, including Bangladesh, Egypt, Ivory Coast and Tunisia. Last year, 56,588 migrants arrived in Italy from these four countries alone. Most of them, however, quickly escape from the reception centers and head to richer Northern Europe.
Under the terms of the agreement with Albania, up to 36,000 migrants can be sent to the Balkan country each year, as long as they come from the list of safe countries, which severely limits their ability to obtain asylum.
Rights experts say it may be difficult for Italian courts to process asylum applications or appeals against detention orders from people sheltered in another country in a timely manner, and lengthy procedures could create an undue burden on migrants.
The rapid repatriation envisioned in the plan may not materialize because some countries have limits on the number of citizens they will take back.
The Italian government hopes the threat of arrest will act as a deterrent to migrants. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said earlier this week that Italy was setting an example for the rest of Europe with this policy.