Interpol issues global warrants on 100 corrupt Chinese officials

Background: 

Chinese fugitives in US

Last year Chinese officials said more than 150 "economic fugitives", many of them described as corrupt government officials, were in the US. Neither country has publicly provided figures on how much stolen money has been smuggled out of China and into the US.

Between 1990 and 2011, 18,000 corrupt officials fled China, taking up to $128 billion with them, according to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The Washington-based Global Financial Integrity group, which tracks illegal outflows from countries, estimates that between 2003 and 2012, $1.25 trillion of illicit cash left China.

Fox Hunt

Last July, China began a transnational operation called "Fox Hunt" to repatriate fugitives suspected of absconding from China with vast amounts of stolen wealth.

Nearly 700 fugitives suspected of economic crimes have been repatriated to China as a result of Fox Hunt, according to China's Ministry of Public Security.

Those 700 fugitives had been hiding in 69 countries and regions, according to the ministry, including the US, Canada and Australia. More than 115 of those returned to China had been at large for more than a decade, Ministry data showed.

When the Fox Hunt initiative began, Chinese police issued a priority list and asked for help from law enforcement authorities in 90 countries and regions around the globe. More than 70 Chinese police teams were sent overseas to support the operation.

Since then, most countries have actively cooperated in the investigation and repatriation of fugitives, Meng Qingfeng, assistant public security minister said.

However, China does not have extradition treaties with the US, Canada and Australia, a fact that has made the countries more popular as destinations for Chinese officials fleeing the country.

The three countries have cooperated with China in the hunt for fugitives and stolen assets, Meng said.

"As long as people remain at large, the hunt will go on," Meng said, stressing there was "no safe haven" for suspects.

"The six-month drive, supported by 70 special investigation teams, has been a major breakthrough in the country's wide-ranging crackdown on corruption," he said.