Anti-corruption officials from China and the United States have announced plans for a meeting in August to talk about the possibility of creating an extradition treaty between the two countries.
The proposed talks are a follow-up from an anti-corruption commitment made by both Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama at the APEC meeting in Beijing in November.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.
"China encourages all APEC economies to follow through on the Beijing Declaration on Fighting Corruption, enhance practical cooperation on the repatriation of corrupt officials, recovery and return of proceeds of corruption and other areas. It is necessary for both China and the United States to explore effective and new means to carry forward the current cooperation. We will keep in touch with the American side in this regard."
China currently has extradition treaties with 36 countries.
The lack of an extradition treaty between China and the United States, along with Canada and Australia, has made them attractive destinations for economic fugitives or corrupt officials fleeing China.
