China's anti-corruption campaign has improved in efficiency and scale through coordination among the international community, Su Zelin, former vice president of the Supreme People's Court, said during an exclusive interview with China.org.cn on Monday.

Su Zelin, former vice president of the Supreme People's Court and a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC). [Photo by Guo Yiming / China.org.cn]

Su, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, applauded the achievements made in the past years regarding fugitive repatriation and asset recovery, on the sidelines of the ongoing NPC session where deputies are deliberating the work report of the Supreme People's Court (SPC) and Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP).

China is continuing to ramp up its international manhunt for fugitive corrupt officials after launching an eight-month-long Skynet Initiative, a campaign to secure the return of fugitives hiding abroad and confiscate their ill-gotten assets, last April.

More than 1,000 fugitives were brought back in 2015, 240 of whom were government officials, said Liu Jianchao, director of the International Cooperation Bureau under the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

Six fugitives from the "Red Notice" list, China's list of the 100 most wanted fugitives hiding abroad, have been brought back from abroad, the senior anti-graft official added.

Both the SPC and SPP pledged to more actively track down corrupt officials and bring them to justice in their respective work report released for deliberation of the NPC deputies on Mar. 13.

"Fighting corruption is the common duty of the international community, and every country should have zero tolerance to this crime," said Su, who noted that China is a member of the United Nations (UN) Convention against Corruption, a framework under which all members work closely to track down fugitives through diplomatic and enforcement channels.

While recognizing the breakthrough, he pointed out the challenges ahead, saying that different legal systems and costs in overseas manhunts during the process are something that should be taken into consideration.

He also denounces the confusion of the anti-graft drive with human rights issues by foreign observers.

China will begin a new Skynet initiative seeking closer cooperation with popular destinations for fugitive corrupt officials such as the United States and Canada, through the drafting and signing of bilateral extradition treaties, said Cai Wei, the deputy director of CCDI's International Cooperation Bureau.

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