US extradites Chinese fugitive

The brother of a former deputy mayor of the Chinese city of Wenzhou suspected of corruption and bribery has been repatriated to China after spending 14 years as a fugitive in the US.

Businessman Yang Jinjun arrived in China on Friday to face graft and bribery charges as part of Beijing's "Sky Net" operation, designed to bring back 100 fugitives as the country cracks down on corruption.

The case is the first instance of the US, which does not have an extradition treaty with China due to concerns over rule of law and human rights, handing over one of the fugitives since Beijing made the list in April.

China's foreign ministry applauded the US decision and described the move as a positive step in the two country's cooperation in law enforcement.

"The repatriation of Yang Jinjun fully displays the increasing support that China has won over from the global community toward its efforts in chasing down fugitives and illicit gains," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Friday.

"It shows that no matter how far and how long the corrupt officials have fled away, we have the ability to hunt them down,"
Hong added.

A number of prominent fugitives suspected of corruption and bribery remain in the US, including Yang's sister, Yang Xiuzhu, who is charged with embezzling $40 million (35 million euros) while she was deputy mayor of Wenzhou. She is detained in the US and is seeking political asylum.

Nearly a dozen out of the 100 fugitives on the "Sky Net" list have been repatriated, according to Chinese officials.

Chinese president to visit US

Yang's extradition comes ahead of a weeklong visit to the US by China's President Xi Jinping starting next week, including a meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday.

The two largest economies in the world have a host of issues on the agenda as they both cooperate and compete on a range of global and regional issues.

The US and Chinese officials have signaled the two sides will discuss business and trade, cyber-security, climate change, and terrorism, among other issues.

The United States remains concerned over China's land reclamation in the South China Sea and cyber espionage originating from China, including a major attack allegedly carried out by Chinese hackers that gained access to the personal information of more than 20 million former and current federal employees.

cw/jil (AFP, AP, Reuters)