China and US to boost anti-graft measures

Senior Chinese and US law enforcement officials have vowed to intensify efforts to fight corruption, including tracking down assets illegally transferred abroad by corrupt officials.

The move comes after China imposed stricter measures to prevent the transfer of assets by corrupt officials.

In recent years, an increasing number of corrupt Chinese officials and their families have reportedly fled the country after amassing huge amounts of money, with many of them seeking shelter in the West.

David Luna, director for anti-crime programs at the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs under the US State Department, said the US is willing to help track down assets illegally transferred.

"The US has a very good record in denying safe haven to corrupt officials and their families, and we try to go after their assets as well," he told China Daily, stressing that information was the key to success.

"We try to encourage the Chinese government to provide information that is necessary for use in our courts."

China enacted its first formal regulation on managing "naked officials", or officials whose family members had gone abroad, in July in a major step to fight graft.

Some sections of the US media estimated that more than 1,000 corrupt Chinese officials had fled to the US, mostly to Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.