China seeks help from Australia to track fugitives
Police quoted as saying joint operation to seize suspects' assets to start 'within weeks'
China is seeking Australia's cooperation to track suspects wanted for corruption amid media reports police in Australia are about to apprehend Chinese fugitives and seize their assets.
Australian Federal Police were cooperating with Chinese counterparts as part of a joint operation that "will make their first forfeiture of assets within weeks", Commander Bruce Hill was quoted by The Sydney Morning Herald as saying.
Both sides had "agreed on a priority list" of wanted people residing in Australia.
The list was culled from a broader one of "less than a hundred people", the Herald quoted Hill as saying. The assets being pursued were in the "many hundreds of millions of dollars".
A media representative for the force declined to confirm or deny the report.
Beijing launched Operation Fox Hunt in July, a campaign that targets corrupt officials who have fled overseas with illicit gains, according to mainland Chinese media reports.
Over 100 suspects from more than 40 countries had been returned to China, the Southern Weekly reported, citing the Ministry of Public Security.