[File photo]

A total of 634 oversea fugitives have been captured in 67 countries and regions since the 2016 “fox hunt” campaign kicked off in May, aiming to track down corrupt officials who have fled the country.

The campaign, which is an important part of China’s Skynet operation targeting suspected economic criminals, has already made great achievements in 2016. Of the 634 suspects, 205 are implicated in cases involving more than 10 million RMB. An additional 59 are thought to have been part of cases involving over 100 million RMB. Forty-eight had been on the run for over five years at the time of their capture, while 17 were at large for over 10 years, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Oct. 25.

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) praised the achievement on Oct. 24 during a meeting in Suzhou, but also stressed the grim situation of China’s anti-graft campaign.

The ministry promised that, despite the success of the campaign so far, it will not rest on its laurels, and international cooperation will be improved to ensure that all criminals are brought to justice.

“Police departments on all levels should take the ‘fox hunt’ as a priority, working to capture overseas fugitives. We should also strengthen cooperation between police forces and other governmental sectors, including procuratorates and customs,” said Meng Qingfeng, vice minister of the MPS, during the meeting.