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Int'l links called for to battle corruption
China, now standing at a critical juncture of reform and development, should strengthen co-operation with other countries in combating transnational corruption, a senior Chinese official said yesterday. "Against a backdrop of growing economic globalization and regionalization, increased international co-operation in the fight against corruption is urgently needed," State Councillor Hua Jianmin said at the opening of the Fifth Regional Anti-corruption Conference for Asia and the Pacific. Xinhua News Agency reported that more than 4,000 corrupt Chinese officials have fled abroad in recent years, carrying with them 5 billion yuan (US$616 million) in illicit funds. Speaking about anti-corruption co-operation in the Asia-Pacific region, Hua stressed that different countries should respect one another's sovereignty and choose their own methods of fighting the problem. Co-operation should involve a step-by-step and pragmatic approach, said Hua. Geert van der Linden, vice-president of Asian Development Bank (ADB), said corruption leads to the loss of up to one-third of the public investment in many Asia-Pacific countries. He suggested that establishing a co-operative mechanism could wipe out corruption in the region. After more than 20 years of efforts, China has curbed corruption as a whole, Huang Shuxian, vice-minister of supervision, said. Statistics from Huang's ministry indicated that more than 30,000 cadres, including 100 above director-general level, have been punished since the 16th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2002.
(China Daily 09/29/2005 page2)
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