China, US can advance anti-corruption efforts: official

China and the United States, together, can make progress in combating corruption and other transnational crimes, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said on Wednesday.

"China is advancing the rule of law at home and is willing to enhance international cooperation in law enforcement, including those with the US," Liu addressed the 12th meeting of the China-US Joint Liaison Group (JLG) on Law Enforcement Cooperation, which runs from Wednesday to Friday.

The JLG was established in accordance with the 1997 China-US Joint Declaration.

This year's meeting will review law enforcement cooperation over the past year and discuss issues of mutual interest, including combating corruption; the pursuit of fugitives; intellectual property (IP) rights; cyber crime; terrorism and wildlife trafficking.

The meeting will also offer an opportunity to review extensive US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security efforts to investigate Chinese fugitives prosecuted in the United States, said Dan Kritenbrink, deputy mission chief at the US Embassy in Beijing.

Stressing access to information exchange in jointly combating corruption, Kritenbrink said JLG would be an important mechanism and would play a greater role in promoting healthy and durable bilateral relations.

The United States is one of the destinations of choice for fugitive Chinese corruption suspects.

The lack of an extradition treaty remains the main obstacle for counter-corruption cooperation between China and the US, making extradition cooperation impossible.

Currently, China can only take means such as repatriation, prosecution and trial of the suspects in the US.