At least 154 overseas fugitives bow to Fox Hunt operation  

中国海外追逃大限日到期 至少154人投案

(ECNS) -- At least 154 overseas fugitives have turned themselves in ahead of operation Fox Hunt's December 1 deadline, in attempts to mitigate punishment.

Fox Hunt was initiated on July 22 this year to catch those suspected of economic crimes and corruption who had fled abroad to avoid punishment, including many officials.

Around 335 suspects have been seized in the international manhunt, Beijing News reported.

The Ministry of Public Security said 21 of the arrested had spent more than a decade on the run. A suspect from Shaanxi province had spent 16 years overseas after committing fraud involving 5 million yuan ($810,000).

The exact number of Chinese fugitives abroad remains unclear.

A report by Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2011 stated that about 18,000 officials from Party organs, government departments, state institutions and state-owned companies had fled overseas or disappeared since the mid-1990s, along with 800 billion yuan ($130 billion).

The Ministry of Public Security seized 151 suspects in a similar campaign during 2013. Since 2008, more than 730 have been transferred to China from over fifty countries and regions.

The newspaper also said China's anti-corruption departments are planning to establish a database of suspects at large that would rely on global intelligence networks.

China has been increasing global cooperation in its efforts to fight corruption. At the recently concluded G20 Summit in Australia, delegates from China and Australia signed an anti-corruption agreement. Leaders to the recent APEC meetings in Beijing also approved increasing cooperation on the extradition of corrupt officials and the recovery of stolen assets.