Over 230 fugitives who were suspected of economic crimes and fled China have been repatriated from more than 30 countries and regions since 1998, according the Ministry of Public Security Friday.

"The repatriation of these suspects clearly show that absconding overseas cannot help them escape legal penalties," said Gao Feng, deputy director of the Economic Crime Investigation Department of the ministry.

He noted that their repatriation is helpful to investigating related cases and retrieving economic losses timely.

The return of Yu Zhendong, former president of the Kaiping city branch of the Bank of China in Guangdong, was considered a good example.

Suspected of embezzling US$485 millions, Yu fled to the United States in 2001, but was repatriated to China on April 16, 2004. All the illicit money confiscated by the US federal police was also returned to China.

Meanwhile, the case was widely applauded as an outcome of successful criminal judicial cooperation between China and the United States.

Targeting growing transnational economic crimes in recent years, Chinese police had strengthened cooperation with overseas law enforcement departments in intelligence exchange, case investigation, retrieval of illegal money and police training, Gao said.

Also according to the ministry, Chinese police have cracked 277,000 cases involving economic crimes, seized 262,000 suspects and retrieved economic losses valued at 67 billion yuan (US$8.1 billion) since 2000.

Hu Anfu, director of the ministry's Economic Crime Investigation Department, said the crackdown on economic crimes was of great importance in rectifying and standardizing the market order and in maintaining economic security and social stability.

To fight economic crimes effectively, public security departments at all levels have launched a series of special campaigns against tax-related crimes, smuggling, production and sales of fake goods, illegal pyramid sales, counterfeit of financial bills and notes, securities-related crimes and production of counterfeit money.

Since 1999, Chinese police have seized 2.2 billion yuan (US$266 million) worth of counterfeit money and 56,000 suspects in over 40,000 cases.

The police have also cracked 35,000 tax-related cases, retrieving 15 billion yuan (US$1.8 billion) in losses since 2001.

To protect the interests of intellectual property rights (IPR) owners, the police have also strengthened fights against IPR infringement, cracking 1,040 related cases, seizing 1,531 suspects and redeeming economic losses valued at 116 million yuan (US$14 million) in 2002. The number of IPR-related cases was reduced to 823 in 2003, with 1,153 suspects seized and 88.4 million yuan (US$10.7 million) retrieved.

(Xinhua News Agency May 29, 2004)