China turns to US to help track down corrupt officials

LONDON (ShareCast) - Beijing has sent a list of corrupt Chinese officials to authorities in the US, requesting they are deported to China to be prosecuted if found in America. Further evidence will be provided against priority targets, one of which has already been arrested according to the US Department of Justice.

The targets are a collection of rich Chinese, suspected of economic crimes who have fled abroad to avoid having their assets seized.

"We continue to encourage China to provide strong evidence and intelligence to ensure that our law enforcement agencies can properly investigate and prosecute cases related to the alleged corruption," said US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.

The move, named "Operation Foxhunt", is the latest from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has already caught many government officials and company executives as part of his huge anti-corruption campaign.

Since October 2014, the Chinese government has seized 49 suspected individuals from 17 countries, according to state media.