China seized 857 fugitives hiding overseas in a campaign to net suspects implicated in economic crimes, the Ministry of Public Security said Wednesday.
The ministry said it had established the Overseas Arresting Work Bureau to support the work, and "Fox Hunt 2016" would be launched.
The fugitives, scattered across 66 countries and regions, include 366 who turned themselves in to police as part of Fox Hunt 2015, the ministry said.
A total of 212 were implicated in cases involving over 10 million yuan (1.52 million U.S. dollars), and 39 have been on the run for over a decade, one having evaded the law for 21 years.
Fox Hunt 2015 was launched in April and ended in December. Police cooperation led to the capture of 114 fugitives hiding overseas with the aid of new identities.
Over 50 working groups collaborated with foreign law enforcement agencies and Chinese embassies.
A total of 283 suspects were captured in Southeast Asia. Two were repatriated from the United States.
One case involved a suspect, surnamed Ding, from Zhejiang province, who was accused of illegal fund-raising, money laundering and fraud among other offenses, involving assets worth 200 million yuan. Ding fled overseas in September 2008 with his family.
In May 2010, the local procuratorate issued a warrant for his arrest and in October 2011 Interpol issued a red warrant. In December 2014 it was found that Ding was planning on traveling to Spain.
With cooperation between Chinese and Spanish police, Ding was arrested in Madrid in December 2014, and sent back to China in September 2015.
Fox Hunt 2015 is part of the "Sky net" overseas anti-corruption campaign. The police helped the disciplinary body captured 122 fugitives suspected of duty-related crimes.
