US biggest 'safe haven' for fugitives: China

China slammed the US for wanton long-arm jurisdiction under the banner of anti-corruption on Wednesday, calling the US the biggest "safe haven" for oversea fugitives.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a routine press briefing in Beijing in response to the US establishing a coordinator on global anti-corruption and unveiling a kleptocracy fund.

"The US is the biggest safe haven," Zhao said. "It has the largest number of overseas fugitives suspected of corruption and economic crimes and is an important destination for corrupt assets. It is easier to set up a shell company in the US than elsewhere."

About 2 million anonymous shell companies are created in the US annually, far outnumbering any other country and region, according to US media reports.

"The US has become an 'automatic money-laundering machine' for illicit funds," the spokesperson said.

He stressed that the US was surrounded by corruption scandals and its presidential election was already legitimately corrupted by money.

"As a party to the United Nations Convention against Corruption," Zhao said, "the US turns a blind eye to fugitives' corruption facts, negatively handles the requests for cooperation of developing countries and even provides political asylum to fugitives and prevents them from surrendering."

The US has always "forgiven himself but not others," and "wantonly used long arm jurisdiction under the banner of anti-corruption," Zhao said. "This kind of double-standard move is bound to be spurned and resisted."

(Compiled by Xie Runjia)