Chinese official calls for deepening int'l cooperation at anti-corruption summit

Xinhua News Agency

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Chinese Minister of Supervision Huang Shuxian on Thursday urged countries around the world to deepen international anti-corruption cooperation at the ongoing Anti-Corruption Summit.

British Prime Minister David Cameron opened the summit at Lancaster House Thursday morning. Presidents from Afghanistan, Colombia, Nigeria and other countries, senior ministers from G20 countries, as well as leaders from international organizations are attending the summit.

Huang said in a written statement that the fight against corruption was a common task facing all countries, which required shared commitment and global action.

He noted that the Chinese government had taken continued efforts to tackle corruption in the past few years, which had greatly boosted integrity of the society.

The Chinese government also established tough measures to punish corruption, strengthened the supervision of officials, as well as built stronger institutions to tackle corruption from its root.

According to Huang, China greatly values and takes an active part in global cooperation on anti-corruption, adding that China would build more platforms for international cooperation, continue to go after fugitives and their illegal assets, and crack down on transnational commercial bribery.

"Strengthening international anti-corruption cooperation is vital to global governance and sustainable development," he emphasized and made three proposals for anti-corruption cooperation.

He said, first, countries needed to build political consensus on the basis of equality and trust; second, take incremental steps to expand cooperation; and third, pursue win-win and result-oriented cooperation.

"It is in the common interests of governments and people around the world to deepen international anti-corruption cooperation... China would like to strengthen practical cooperation, mutual support and mutual assistance with other countries, and knit a close cooperation network," Huang added.

As the co-chair of the G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group, China will join efforts with Britain to make chasing fugitives and recovering illegal assets a priority high on the G20 agenda, so that people around the world will share in the dividends of anti-corruption cooperation, he said.

China is currently a member of 15 global and regional anti-corruption cooperation mechanisms. China participates in anti-corruption cooperation with 89 countries and regions, has concluded 44 extradition treaties and 57 treaties on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, and signed financial information exchange agreements with 35 countries and regions.

(APD)