The US has promised to support China’s campaign to hunt corrupt officials fleeing abroad, Xinhua news agency reported late on Friday after meetings between security officials from the world’s two largest economies.
Talks this week between Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun (郭聲琨) and Chinese Secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission Meng Jianzhu (孟建柱), and US Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson also touched on counterterrorism, intellectual property rights, maritime law enforcement and cybersecurity issues, Xinhua said.
The US Department of Homeland Security could not be immediately reached for comment, but issued a statement on its Web site.
“Secretary Johnson and Minister Guo agreed to a more streamlined process to repatriate Chinese nationals with final orders of removal, while applications for protection will continue to be handled in accordance with US law and American values,” the statement said.
The two also agreed to increase information sharing on “foreign terrorist fighters through international databases.”
Guo said the two sides should seek cooperation in law enforcement and that both sides agreed they would not provide refuge to fugitives, Xinhua reported.
CORRUPT OFFICIALS
Chinese public security authorities said the US supported Chinese programs dubbed “Sky Net” and “Operation Fox Hunt,” which are meant to coordinate a campaign to track down suspected corrupt officials who have fled overseas and to recover their assets.
The Chinese government has given the US a priority list of Chinese officials suspected of corruption and who are believed to have fled there, state media has reported.
REPATRIATIONS
Chinese officials have said more than 150 “economic fugitives,” including corrupt government officials, are in the US.
China’s anti-corruption watchdog said last month that more than 500 suspects were repatriated to China last year, along with more than 3 billion yuan (US$483.19 million).
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has said he aims to track down corrupt officials in a far-reaching campaign against graft.
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