# China Drafts New Law to Formalize Cross-Border Anti-Corruption Efforts

> China is drafting a law to build a permanent framework for pursuing fugitives, recovering assets and overseeing officials posted abroad. Its Sky Net campaign has recovered 32.79 billion yuan in illicit assets, with 963 fugitives repatriated in 2025 alone.

- Source: Times of China (Times of China)
- Canonical URL: https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/china-cross-border-anti-corruption-law-2026
- Chinese edition: https://timesofchina.cn.com/article/china-cross-border-anti-corruption-law-2026
- Author: 中国时报编辑部
- Section: Top News
- Published: 2026-10-29T03:00:00+08:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T03:00:00+08:00
- Tags: 反腐败, 天网行动, 立法, 监察委员会, 国际合作

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China is drafting a new law aimed at building a permanent legal framework for its overseas anti-corruption work, covering the pursuit of fugitives, asset recovery and oversight of officials posted abroad.

## “Sky Net” campaign yields strong results

Between 2017 and 2022, China's Sky Net campaign brought back 6,900 fugitives from overseas and recovered 32.79 billion yuan, or about 4.9 billion dollars, in illicit assets, according to official figures. In 2025 alone, authorities opened 505 cross border corruption cases and repatriated 963 fugitives. All Asia based suspects on Interpol's list of its 100 most wanted Red Notice fugitives have now been returned, a process completed in July 2025 when businesswoman Zhou Jinghua was repatriated from Thailand.

## Scholars weigh in on the law's significance

Zhang Lei, a law professor at Beijing Normal University, Yang Chao, an associate professor of law at the same university, Zhuang Deshui, deputy head of Peking University's Research Center of Public Policy, and Yang Weidong, a law professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, have all commented on the significance of the planned legislation. Ghada Waly, former executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, also weighed in on related international cooperation frameworks.

## A focus on international cooperation and streamlined oversight

Analysts said the law is expected to clarify the division of responsibilities among supervisory commissions, public security authorities and customs in cross border anti-corruption work, while aligning with international mechanisms including the G20, APEC and the UN Convention Against Corruption. Overseeing officials stationed abroad in diplomatic, commercial and state owned enterprise roles was described as a more challenging area that the legislation is expected to address.

## Part of a broader anti-corruption push

The legislation is seen as a continuation of the Communist Party's full and rigorous self governance drive dating back to its 18th National Congress in 2012. President Xi Jinping, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, laid out plans for pursuing fugitives and recovering assets in early 2016, and underscored the importance of international anti-corruption cooperation in a speech at the Belt and Road Forum in 2017.

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Originally published by Times of China. Free to cite with attribution and a link to https://timesofchina.cn.com/en/article/china-cross-border-anti-corruption-law-2026.