China on Thursday expressed firm opposition to the United States slandering China's efforts to hunt down fugitives and recover illicit money, urging the U.S. to fulfil its obligations under international anti-crime and anti-corruption conventions.
Wang Wenbin, spokesperson with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the comments in response to the U.S. filing charges against eight participants in China's "Fox Hunt" efforts and arresting five of them.
He urged the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes.
Wang said at a daily news briefing that fighting transnational crimes, pursuing fugitives internationally and recovering illicit money are acts of justice and have been widely recognized as such by the international community.
He said that Chinese law enforcement agencies carry out law enforcement cooperation with foreign agencies in strict accordance with international laws, fully respect the laws and judicial sovereignties of foreign countries, and protect the lawful rights and interests of suspects.
"Such actions are beyond reproach," Wang said.
"Disregarding the fundamental facts, with ulterior motives the U.S. side smeared China's efforts in pursuing fugitives and recovering illicit money. China firmly opposes this," said the spokesperson.
China urges the United States to immediately correct its mistakes and earnestly fulfill its obligations under the United Nations (UN) Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the UN Convention against Corruption and other international treaties, said Wang.
"Don't let the United States become a haven for criminals," he said.
