As the International Anti-Corruption Day approaches on December 9, China's "Skynet" program to have fugitives living overseas returned to China has been marked with substantial success. The People's Daily reports that since its launch in 2015, 4,833 people have been returned to China from more than 120 countries. This includes 995 state functionaries, and 54 out of 100 Interpol red notice fugitives. The program has also recovered more than 10.3 billion yuan (1.5 billion U.S. dollars) of assets.

Sun Xin, a suspect who fled abroad for seven years, was extradited back to China from Cambodia in June 2016. He plead guilty in court on July 5, 2016. He was the first red notice fugitive to be arrested and returned to China after 100 such notices were issued by Interpol following the start of China's "Skynet" program. (Photo: IC)

China has signed 54 extradition treaties and 63 mutual legal assistance treaties with 71 countries. Since the beginning of the year, China's international anti-corruption collaborations have had some notable successes.

On November 30, Yao Jinqi, the former deputy head of Xinchang County in Zhejiang Province was extradited from Bulgaria. On the run for 13 years, China Daily reports that he was accused by China's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of taking advantage of his posts to take bribes. 

Yao's return is the first case of a successful extradition since the establishment of the State Supervisory Committee. It's also the first time that China has successfully arranged for a former civil servant accused of corruption to be extradited from a European Union member state.