On September 6, Wang Jianming, director of the Anti-corruption administration under the Supreme People's Procuratorate, in his speech on a special topic delivered at the 22nd International Law Meeting, indicated that since the beginning of the new century, the Chinese government has done a lot of fruitful work in attacking and preventing corruption crimes and strengthening anti-corruption international cooperation.

More than 200,000 corruption criminals were investigated and prosecuted in five years

According to incomplete statistics, in the five years since 2002, Chinese procuratorial departments have, in line with the stipulations of China's Constitution and other laws, investigated and prosecuted over 200,000 people who committed the crimes of corruption and bribery, including a number of senior cadres at provincial or ministerial level, thus dealing a telling blow at corruption criminal activities, at the same time, they have provided valuable practical experience for the international community, especially developing countries to carry out anti-corruption struggles.

Corruption has become a global criminal action

Experts on the anti-corruption issue point out that along with the development of economic globalization and frequent international exchanges, the crimes of corruption have presented new characteristics of crimes becoming internationalized, the means of crimes carry a clear feature of globalization, the corrupt elements escape abroad to dodge punishments, the loss of funds gained from corruption is serious.

According to Prof. Chu Huaizhi with Peking University, corruption has developed into a kind of global criminal act, a country is not able to independently shoulder the task of anti-corruption struggle and so it must carry out international cooperation.

Seizure and arrest of a group of corrupt criminals fleeing the country

China has adopted a series of measures including judicial assistance, extradition, and cooperation with the International Criminal Police Organization. From September 1987 to December 2004, China had signed 44 judicial assistance agreements or treaties with 41 countries including Poland, Mongolia and Romania.

In December 2000, China promulgated and enforced the Law of Extradition. Since March 1994, China has signed in succession extradition treaties with Thailand, Belarus, Russia and some other countries, by the end of October 2004, China had signed 21 extradition treaties with foreign countries.

Statistics show that since 1998, Chinese procuratorial departments, assisted by Chinese and foreign departments concerned, have successfully captured over 70 corruption criminals escaped abroad.

At present, China has issued over 800 copies of red circulars through the International Criminal Police Organization. From 1993 to January 2005, working in coordination with the International Criminal Police Organization, China had successfully arrested more than 230 suspected escapees from an excess of 30 countries and regions and will repatriate suspects who escaped from foreign countries to China back to their own countries.

China actively strengthens anti-corruption international cooperation

China has signed nearly 100 multilateral international conventions on punishing international crimes, the "United Nations Anti-corruption Convention" signed on December 10, 2003, in particular, is of important significance to the launch of China's struggle against corruption.

Director Wang Jianming indicates that the Chinese government is actively exploring ways and measures for anti-corruption international cooperation in the new historical period and has achieved new results in anti-corruption international cooperation. In light of the reality of anti-corruption international cooperation, the Chinese government has, together with some countries, formulated treaties relating to international cooperation, and has made vigorous efforts to provide rules for anti-corruption international cooperation to follow, to standardize cooperation and enhance practical results. This, to a certain extent, has enhanced the Chinese government's ability to attack and curb transnational corruption crimes.

By People's Daily online