China will begin its phase II work to implement the United Nations (UN) Convention Against Corruption, sources with the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said yesterday.

Further international co-operation and legislation are the main focuses of the phase, Wu Guanzheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said in a speech on Monday.

In the speech, he also urged governmental departments to work more closely with other countries to fight corruption.

"Government departments should narrow the gap between the UN convention and domestic laws and strengthen international co-operation," said Wu.

"We should improve co-operation in law enforcement, judicial assistance, criminal suspect repatriation and the return of illicit money with the help of other members of the convention."

China will also join other members of the convention to prevent corruption and curb commercial bribery.

He said the country would speed up negotiations with other countries, leading to new extradition treaties and judicial assistance.

He said China would learn from other countries' anti-corruption experiences and further improve its own efforts.

China signed the convention in December 2003, marking the beginning of the first phase.

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress ratified the convention last October.

Liu Wenzong, an international law professor with China Foreign Affairs University, told China Daily yesterday that the Chinese Government's work in implementing the convention was consistent with its image as a responsible country that fulfils its anti-corruption obligations.

But there are still some hurdles to overcome, Liu warned.

He said more time would be needed to reach extradition treaties with all Western countries.

"First, some foreigners believe that the Criminal Law of China has some holes," Liu said.

Second, there are some disagreements over so-called human rights issues.

Third, the death penalty is a concern when extraditing corrupt officials.

China has carried out judicial co-operation with foreign countries in recent years. Since 1993, China has signed extradition treaties with more than 20 countries.

In April, China signed an extradition treaty with Spain, the first one between China and a developed country.

The move was believed to help China weave a global extradition net to bring back corrupt officials who had fled abroad to seek asylum in developed countries in Europe and North America, and pave the way for more similar treaties with other Western countries.

Source: China Daily