An animated picture features Chinese law enforcement official tracking back a fugitive who flees overseas with his ill-gotten asset during the Skynet operations, China's project to track down fugitives. Photo:VCG

China has set up a preliminary anti-corruption cooperation network to track down fugitives at large in all continents and key countries. 

China has established 169 extradition treaties and mutual legal assistance treaties with 81 countries as of November, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) of the Communist Party of China (CPC), China's top disciplinary watchdog. 

Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating tensions in international relations, China's international anti-corruption efforts have never stopped. From January to August 2020, a total of 799 fugitives were caught under the "Sky Net 2020" operation, China News reported. 

In recent years, China has continuously strengthened international judicial cooperation in law enforcement. By making comprehensive use of legal means like extradition, repatriation, and overseas arrests and prosecution, a large number of fugitives have been apprehended and stolen funds retrieved in accordance with the law.

China has netted 7,831 fugitives from more than 120 countries and regions in the past six years, including 60 of the 100 most-wanted Red Notice Chinese fugitives, and recovered more than 19 billion yuan in stolen funds ($2.88 billion), the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

The enactment of a series of laws and regulations has enabled China to establish a relatively comprehensive anti-corruption system consistent with the United Nations Convention against Corruption, which has provided a better legal basis and more reliable procedural safeguards for disciplinary, inspection and supervisory organs to strengthen international efforts to track down fugitives and recover stolen goods.

"China has fully protected the legitimate rights and interests of the recovered persons, reflecting China's firm attitude to carry out international cooperation against corruption in strict accordance with the UN Convention against Corruption and bilateral treaties," Song Wei, director of the Center of Anti-Corruption Studies of University of Science and Technology Beijing, noted.

In October 2019, the CCDI signed a memorandum of understanding on anti-corruption cooperation with the UN.

China has actively participated in anti-corruption cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as the UN, the G20, APEC and BRICS, setting up a preliminary cooperation network of anti-corruption law enforcement, covering all continents and key countries, according to the CCDI.

In the process of carrying out its international anti-corruption operations, China has always strictly abided by the domestic laws of the target countries, international laws and international judicial and law enforcement practices, fully respected the legal systems and judicial sovereignty of other countries, submitted requests and cooperated strictly in accordance with multilateral conventions or bilateral agreements, and safeguarded the legitimate rights and interests of criminal suspects, which has won support and recognition from the international community, the CCDI noted. 

Global Times