China Begins Review of Cross-Border Anti-Corruption Law

China’s top lawmakers this week began reviewing a draft law aimed at strengthening the country’s ability to pursue, repatriate and convict suspected corrupt officials abroad.

The legislation would help “prevent and punish cross-border corruption and deepen international anti-corruption cooperation”, state-run Xinhua said on Tuesday. Draft laws typically undergo three readings before a vote, meaning it could take several months before the bill becomes law.

Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, China has carried out a sweeping anti-corruption campaign. More than 3,000 former Communist Party and government officials accused of corruption have been brought back to China from around 120 countries since Beijing launched Operation Sky Net in 2015, according to official figures.

Some foreign governments and human rights groups have raised concerns that China’s overseas fugitive operations extend beyond ordinary criminal cases and have also targeted political rivals, dissidents and government critics. US authorities have accused Beijing of using unauthorized surveillance, harassment, threats and coercion to force some targets back to China while bypassing formal legal and extradition procedures.

(Reuters)