Fugitives fleeing corruption charges and hiding their illicit assets overseas is a major issue confronting all countries. Which is why the Chinese Foreign Ministry says it's important to enhance international cooperation to allow more aggressive extradition and repatriation policies.
China is broadening it's anti-corruption campaign to an international level.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry says it wants to send a firm message that when it comes to economic fugitives and their illicit assets, there’s nowhere to hide.
"Since starting negotiations on mutual legal assistance and extradition treaties in the 1980s, China has established a legal network for hunting down fugitives fleeing abroad and recovering illicit assets. After nearly 30 years of unrelenting effort, this network now covers major countries on every continent in the world. As of November 2014, China has concluded altogether 39 extradition treaties with other countries, including 29 treaties that are already in effect, and 52 criminal judicial assistance treaties, 46 of which are now in force," says Xu Hong, director general of Theaty and Law Department of China's Foreign Ministry.
As part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's aggressive drive to root out corruption in the country, the international campaign dubbed Operation "Fox Hunt" was launched in July to capture suspects who had escaped abroad.
But China has also offered an olive branch to overseas graft fugitives, saying that if they return and plead guilty to their crimes before December 1st, they will receive a reduced punishment.
Those who refuse to surrender, though, risk being caught in China’s widening legal net. It now has cooperation agreements with judicial and law enforcement branches in many countries, including the US, Canada, Australia and various southeast Asian nations.
"Strengthening international cooperation in anti-corruption has increasingly become a trend in the international community. Multi-lateral treaties such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and mutilateral cooperation mechanisms like the APEC and G20 anti-corruption working groups have greatly improved the political willingness and institutional framework for all countries to cooperate in finding fugitive fleeing abroad. We have overcome barriers, such as differences in the laws and rules of different countries, and accumulated rich and successful experiences while still abiding by Chinese law’s basic principles," Xu says.
China has taken measures to root out corrupt officials ranging from high-ranking "tigers" to low-level "flies". Support from the international community is very important, especially in the process of tracking down fleeing officials and illegal profits. China hopes that all relevant parties will cooperate together to combat the crimes of corruption and not become the safe havens for those fugitives.