China works with Asean countries for return of corrupt officials
China and ASEAN countries will set up a regional anti-corruption legal framework to facilitate the return of corrupt Chinese officials who are still at large in ASEAN countries and confiscate their ill-gotten assets, a senior anti-graft official said. China is in advanced negotiations with some ASEAN countries, including Thailand and Laos, to sign bilateral anti-corruption agreements. Meanwhile, China intends to start discussions with ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, to sign bilateral extradition treaties to bring more fugitives back to face trial, said Liu Jianchao, director of the International Cooperation Bureau under the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection. At present, China has signed bilateral anti-corruption agreements with four ASEAN countries and has signed extradition treaties with six ASEAN members, according to the CCDI. “Such a regional anti-corruption mechanism will provide us a legal basis to enhance judicial cooperation with ASEAN countries in fighting cross-border corruption and improving working efficiency,” he said on the sidelines of the China-ASEAN Anti-Corruption Workshop held from November 1 to November 3 in Yuxi, Yunnan province.
