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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Your thoughts on "Operation Fox Hunt"?
China's leadership has recently asked Western powers to cooperate in order to repatriate corrupt fugitives hiding in other countries, notably Canada, the US and Australia that are popular destinations for those people.
In early February, Italy was the first country to formaly arrest and return a Chinese national under this campaign, a woman suspected of embezzling more than 1.4 million RMB from clients at security companies in China.
Since then in a little more than 2 months, more than 680 suspects have been arrested in other countries and sent back to China in order to be judged for their crimes of corruption.
China submitted an official list of suspects to many other countries, the names are mostly officials and business people involved in corruption.
I think it's a great move, although it is clear that the leadership targets mainly members of the opposite faction (also some from Xi's faction), I hate seeing those people and their dirty money emigrating to our countries by exploiting loopholes in the system, I am glad that they are sent back to China to be judged and condemned. Many Chinese out here deserve more to get Western passports than those corrupt rich Chinese who bring nothing but their obnoxious behaviors to our countries, I rather pay more taxes than accept their dirty money.
Keep it on China!
Western countries are realizing that allowing rich Chinese and others to buy citizenship through investment visa type programs was a horrible idea that attracted corrupt scum from around the world. These people are seeking to park their dirty money somewhere safe and give their kids an easy life. Sure, a little tax revenue was earned but allowing the people who ruined their countries into your country is not really a great plan. These corrupt officials are not exactly going to become pillars of their communities abroad. Nor are they likely to disappear into the sunset and live peacefully with their ill gotten gains. I've read that whole neighborhoods in rich parts of Toronto are full of young single Chinese women seemingly living alone. Oh wait, they're the mistresses of Chinese who live there now. Yea, these people are exporting the worst of China to the West. Real estate bubbles, mistresses, rude behavior, corrupt business practices. Send the bastards back home to rot in prison. And no, this is not to say that all immigration is bad or that all Chinese immigration is bad. But welcoming criminals who robbed and pillaged their country dry in the hopes of getting a few tax dollars is a pretty poor plan. I'm sure most governments will happily cooperate with China to send these assholes packing.
Western countries are realizing that allowing rich Chinese and others to buy citizenship through investment visa type programs was a horrible idea that attracted corrupt scum from around the world. These people are seeking to park their dirty money somewhere safe and give their kids an easy life. Sure, a little tax revenue was earned but allowing the people who ruined their countries into your country is not really a great plan. These corrupt officials are not exactly going to become pillars of their communities abroad. Nor are they likely to disappear into the sunset and live peacefully with their ill gotten gains. I've read that whole neighborhoods in rich parts of Toronto are full of young single Chinese women seemingly living alone. Oh wait, they're the mistresses of Chinese who live there now. Yea, these people are exporting the worst of China to the West. Real estate bubbles, mistresses, rude behavior, corrupt business practices. Send the bastards back home to rot in prison. And no, this is not to say that all immigration is bad or that all Chinese immigration is bad. But welcoming criminals who robbed and pillaged their country dry in the hopes of getting a few tax dollars is a pretty poor plan. I'm sure most governments will happily cooperate with China to send these assholes packing.
@OP, i agree with every word and have upvoted you. Just one question for arguments sake. Do you still pay taxes in your home country?
Yep, if China wants them sent back, by all means send them back. They already showed they can't be trusted, they ripped off their own people. Who needs shit like that in your country?
It's like this: the Snowden leaks have crippled the CIA and the NSA's overseas operations. What's happening is that these corrupt officials are being given a choice: provide information, or you go back to China.
It's not like we're going to cooperate with China, unless the officials can't give the government what they want.
ScotsAlan:
Very possible Hulk.
I remember reading somewhere that the CIA funded a scheme in the late 90's to help Chinese agitators get to America.
Foreign countries are most likely delighted to get the names of people suspected of corruption.
I knew a Chinese guy in the UK who has a masters in architecture from a top Chinese university, yet he was working in the UK as a technician. He could have had a top job in China.
He explained that his brother was high up in some provincial Government where he was in charge of infrastructure projects. He went on to say that because of his brother's position he was not allowed to have a Chinese passport.
I asked the guy straight (over a bottle of scotch), if he was in the UK to stash the money. He answered in the affirmative.
If this guys brother ever got out of China on a dodgy passport, I bet the UK people would love to know about it to ask him a few questions.
To extradite anyone to China, even for murder is like extradition to Nazi Germany.
Generally it's quite a brave move from many countries. Very reasonable approach of China is met with political motivation on the site of many countries.
For instance France rejected, so far, to cooperate and this even under threat that China will not fully support investigation into in France suspicious money transactions ending at Chinese bank accounts as in China all went legally.
USA is terribly unhappy at many EU countries joining China initiative to create a competition to World Bank and IMF. It's quite nice to see that the world is going to be more balanced and EU, hopefully, will get rid of current US protectorate.
Anyone living outside og China is a potential threat to the CCP. Of course they need to be detained.
The big question here is if civilized Western countries who do not have capital punishment should extradite to a country that has. I've always liked the concept of offering to imprison people locally and then forward the bill to whoever wants people locked up. Saves the plane ticket thus CO2.
mike695ca:
Canada has come across this many times. With China. Canadian government refuses to extradite unless China swears to only put the dude in prison and not kill him. Then Canadian officials in China make one or two visits to the prisoner to make sure he is still alive and fed and then they forget about it.
I thought there was no extradition from China, yet they want their criiminals back?
I think the real question here is what were the terms of the deal for allowing such a breach in sovereignty for many countries while this would never be allowed to happen in China.
There are questions to be asked here.
If it were any other country but China.. for most (Many? Some?? A few???) other countries, I'd be totally 100% all for it.. but TIC, and let's face it, nothing is as it appears on the surface.
For one thing, how much information regarding the 'alleged' illegal activities of these people is going to be shared? Are they actually guilty of a crime? Or did they just get rich quick? Even if they are guilty, where's the proof?
On another angle which I suspect no-one's considered - isn't this 'running away with stolen money' precisely what the KMT did when they went to Taiwan? So, who's to say that that won't be China's next step... "you helped us with all these others, why not those in Taiwan?"
Also consider - how far down the road before all us internet pirates start getting extradited to the US? (ok, never, but you know...)
Chia's using it's economic power to muscle into foreign jurisdictions and shake down former nationals who have some cash.
Some may be guilty of exactly what is being claimed, and these cases will be paraded by the Chinese media as 'justice'. But political opponents will also be harassed where they thought they were safe.
I think we all know, that these people's biggest crime, was not maintaining guanxi with the CCP.
Of course, foreign countries are to blame for all China's problems, whether it was the century of humiliation, or simply harbouring the corrupt officials who fled with their wealth. No introspection necessary. It all feeds into the victim/slave attitude that's so prevalent in China: "Why work hard when people at the top can steal stuff? Just muscle your way to the top, or don't even try."
I prefer operation beaver assault
CharlieB:
How about Operation Rat Roundup. You know how rats flee a sinking ship.