China sets up anti-corruption, fugitive research centre for G20 members

The centre was set up on Friday and is seated at Beijing Normal University. It will be the first of its kind for G20 members to carry out research, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

It will create a platform for G20 members to exchange experience through academic research and training, provide intellectual support for China’s participation in global anti-corruption cooperation and promote a new international anti-corruption order, an official statement said.

Speaking to the media after the summit in Hangzhou, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who launched a massive anti-corruption drive netting thousands of officials, said important breakthroughs had been made this year in anti-graft area in terms of fugitive repatriation and asset recovery.

“This will leave corrupt officials no place to hide in G20 members’ territories and in the world at large,” he had said.

The joint statement issued at the end of the summit in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi took part said “we commit to continue the G20 Denial of Entry Experts Network.”

“Consistent with our national legal systems, we will work on cross-border cooperation and information sharing between law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies and judicial authorities,” it had said.

“We call for ratification by all the G20 members of the UN Convention Against Corruption and welcome the launch of the second cycle of its review mechanism. We will endeavour to apply effectively the extradition, mutual legal assistance and asset recovery provisions of the above Convention and other applicable international conventions,” it said.