680 fugitives brought back from abroad, says China

At least 680 fugitives, accused of graft, fraud and other economic offences, have been brought back to China from 69 countries and regions during a six-month anti-corruption crackdown launched by Chinese authorities.
Of the 680 fugitives, the Ministry of Public Security said 290 people were captured and 390 others turned themselves in during the campaign.
Seventy four were involved in financial crimes each valued over 100 million yuan (USD 16.4 million), state-run China Daily reported today.
"I was living in extreme fear and helplessness when I was in the US," said Wang Guoqiang, a former city chief of the ruling Communist Party in Northeast China, when turning himself in to the police in 2014.

Wang had fled to the US in 2012 reportedly with 200 million yuan.
China launched the anti-corruption campaign, named Fox Hunt 2014, in July last year and targeted corrupt officials and economic crime suspects who had fled the country.

The goal was to "block the last route of retreat" for corrupt officials and narrow the space for abuse of power.
The number of fugitives caught during the campaign is 4.5 times that of 2013.
China signed agreement on judicial assistance, extradition, and transfer of convicts with about 63 countries during the campaign, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs.