China urges enhancing international anti-corruption cooperation

ST. PETERSBURG - China is keen to enhance existing international cooperation networks in the field of corruption prevention, calling for new strategies for tracing stolen goods and capturing offenders, a Chinese official said here on Tuesday.

The view was voiced by Liu Jianchao, deputy director of China's National Bureau of Corruption Prevention and Director of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection International Cooperation Branch.

Liu, together with delegates from a dozen international organizations and over 160 countries, attended the 6th session of the Conference of the State Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC).

The fight against corruption is a key challenge facing the international community and vital to the efforts by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to achieve social justice, defend the integrity of the Chinese legal system and promote the rule of law, Liu said.

Over the last two years, the CPC has adopted severe measures to treat the root cause of corruption and achieved notable success, Liu added.

Liu suggested that international anti-corruption cooperation be handled on three fronts: adopting a pragmatic approach to the extension of the existing UN anti-corruption convention; prioritizing the return of stolen assets and strengthening international cooperation in this area by striving to overcome differences in national legal frameworks; and respecting the equal sovereignty of all nations and avoiding interfering in the signatories' internal affairs.

The current conference coincides with the 10th anniversary of the signing of the UNCAC, which has grown in authority and influence over the past decade.