China, Malaysia agree on joint crime crackdown

BEIJING - China and Malaysia on Thursday signed a bilateral agreement on fighting transnational crime.

Chinese Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu and his Malaysian counterpart Hishamuddin Tun Hussein took part in the signing ceremony following their talks in Beijing.

Details of the agreement have not been released but it is expected to help curb new types of crimes -- including telecommunication fraud, human trafficking and money laundering.

Meng, also China's state councilor and a senior member of the cabinet, hailed the current ties between China and Malaysia.

"China attaches great importance to the friendly cooperation between the countries, and will work together with Malaysia to bolster substantial cooperation in various fields and promote bilateral relations," Meng said.

He spoke highly of the cooperation between the two sides' law-enforcement departments, including anti-terrorism, crackdowns on transnational crime and repatriating suspects.

Hishamuddin said the Malaysian government and leaders are endeavoring to strengthen the friendly ties with China, and will further cooperate in cracking down on crime and safeguarding social security.