China Focus: Cross-border police cooperation facilitates China's overseas fugitive hunt

China's vigorous campaign to return corrupt officials and other economic fugitives overseas is making strides as border police cooperate to bring them to justice.

Wu Quanshen, former Communist Party of China chief of Dadun Village in south China's Guangdong Province, became the most recent success story after being returned in July from Macao, a special administration region in China with an independent judicial system and a destination for fugitives from the mainland.

Wu was among 100 Chinese fugitives wanted worldwide for alleged corruption. He was the first of the Guangdong outlaws on Interpol's most wanted list who has been tracked down.

Guangdong currently has 15 fugitives on Interpol's National Central Bureau of China list, which was released in April, the highest among all provinces.

Law-enforcement personnel in Macao sent him back for illegal entry, after confirming that he violated local law by concealing his criminal record when applying for a five-year residence permit in Macao.

His case highlighted the importance of cross-border police cooperation, especially when apprehending overseas fugitives in places where extradition is not allowed.

When criminals cannot be extradited, authorities resort to other means such as repatriation due to illegal entry. They devote long hours to collecting evidence studying different laws that can be used.

The Macao police adopted materials provided by the Guangdong police, including Wu's detention notice, arrest warrant and evidence pointing to his corruption charges.

Prior to Wu, Guangdong police netted more than 60 fugitives overseas in Fox Hunt 2015, a nationwide campaign launched in April to bring back economic suspects and corrupt Party members and government officials.

Fox Hunt 2015, carried out from July to December last year, snagged 680 economic fugitives from 69 countries and regions.

The hunt has prompted local police to reach out to their overseas counterparts, many of whom are willing to help.

"We've made breakthroughs in international police cooperation. Now we communicate smoothly and efficiently with police in southeastern Asian countries, such as Thailand and Vietnam," said Huang Peifu, an international fugitive specialist with Guangdong's provincial public security department.

Huang said many countries are motivated by the most wanted list. "They recognize that the fugitives are on Interpol's red notice for international arrest. No country would be happy to be seen as a haven for international fugitives," he said.

He said Guangdong alone is targeting about 300 fugitives overseas. Before the nationwide campaign was launched, local police only pursued four or five cases a year.

Chinese police abide by the principles of respecting laws and personal freedom, which sets a solid foundation for developing cooperation with overseas police, said Dai Peng, dean of the investigation academy of the People's Public Security University of China.

In order to clear institutional obstacles, the Chinese government has signed more than 100 different judicial assistance treaties with 68 countries and regions.

During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Beijing in November 2014, the Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption was adopted, with APEC members pledging to eliminate corruption through extradition and judicial assistance and more flexible legal measures to recover the proceeds of crime.

China's efforts to reduce the number of crimes punishable by death have paved way for extradition, given the globally-adopted policy that no person subject to the death penalty should be extradited, according to Huang Feng, a professor of international criminal law with the Beijing Normal University.

The country's top legislature in late August adopted amendments to the Criminal Law, removing the death penalty for nine crimes. In 2011, the country dropped the death penalty for 13 crimes. Endi