ANKARA

To track down alleged fugitives accused of "corruption," China has widened its reach by signing extradition and mutual assistance treaties with more countries.

Beijing calls it a “preliminary anti-corruption cooperation network”, which spreads to all seven continents, Chinese daily Global Times reported on Wednesday. 

China’s top disciplinary watchdog Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said Beijing established 169 extradition treaties and mutual legal assistance treaties with 81 countries as of November. 

The watchdog works under the Communist Party of China.

While the world is battling the COVID-19 pandemic, China ensured the accused are taken to task.

In between January and August this year, China caught a total of 799 fugitives under the "Sky Net 2020" operation.

The CCDI has been successful, the report said, in arresting “a large number of fugitives” and retrieving stolen funds.

In the past six years, China apprehended 7,831 alleged fugitives from more than 120 countries and regions, including 60 of the 100 most-wanted “Red Notice Chinese fugitives”, from whom more than $2.88 billion were recovered, said the report. 

“China has fully protected the legitimate rights and interests of the recovered persons, reflecting China's firm attitude to carry out international cooperation against corruption in strict accordance with the UN Convention against Corruption and bilateral treaties,” said Song Wei, director of the Center of Anti-Corruption Studies of University of Science and Technology Beijing.

The CCDI signed a memorandum of understanding on anti-corruption cooperation with the UN in October 2019.