Beijing’s efforts to hunt down corrupt officials overseas are being hampered by western judges biased against China, according to a senior diplomat involved in the effort.
In his first two years in office, President Xi Jinping has launched an anti-corruption campaign aimed at shoring up the Chinese Communist party’s rule. As part of the effort, which has netted more than 50 officials with ministerial rank or higher, Chinese police have launched “Operation Fox Hunt” to track down suspects who have fled the country.
“Hunting down fugitives fleeing abroad and recovering illicit assets internationally is an important part of the campaign against corruption,” Xu Hong, head of the foreign ministry’s treaty department, said on Wednesday. “It is about people’s trust in the Chinese Communist party … That’s why the Chinese government takes this matter so seriously.”