Anti-corruption an agenda for G20 summit

BEIJING - China hopes to construct a global network to track corrupt officials who escaped the country during the pending G20 summit, a Chinese foreign ministry official said.

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The goal is to form an anti-corruption network with members of the G20, Zhang Jun, head of the international economy department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told a press briefing Thursday morning.

According to Zhang, at just concluded APEC economic leaders meeting in Beijing, member economies have reached a crucial deal on tracking down corrupt officials on the run, recovering illegal funds and denying entrance of suspects into their territories.

"If the G20 also takes a step forward in this respect, we would be able to form a global network in the anti-corruption area," Zhang said.

He said it's a consensus of the members to put this anti-corruption issue on the agenda of the G20 summit to be held in Brisbane of Australia this weekend.

Zhang said 18 of the G20 members are also members of the UN Convention Against Corruption, while the G20 has set up a work panel on combatting corruption.

The Chinese government is stepping up the fight against corruption as it tried to bring more fugitive corrupt people to law.

"Under the current situation, it's a very important part of the global anti-corruption effort to establish a world-wide anti-corruption network," Zhang said.

He cited statistics from the World Bank that bribery world-wide costs businesses roughly $1 trillion every year. He said corruption not only undermines government's credit, but also increases business costs and risks.

"Just imagine if the one trillion U.S. dollars are not in the hands of corrupt people, how many things it can be used on and how much in economic returns it can bring about," Zhang said.

Zhang said since anti-corruption work is closely linked with the growth of global economy, it has become a legitimate item on the agenda of the G20 summit.