A Chinese diplomat said the United States is impeding the nation's anti-corruption efforts, citing the lack of extradition treaty and the prejudices of Western officials which hampered their efforts to retrieve the fugitives they are hunting down.

Xu Hong, the head of the foreign ministry department on treaties and laws, on Wednesday released a statement saying all major countries are interested in stopping the flight of corrupt officials to other countries and to recover their illegally-obtained assets.

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However, for the case of China, referencing the Fox Hunt 2014, Xu noted that their project is being slowed down as there is prejudice and bias against the country by the lawmakers and judges from some Western countries. The Chinese fugitives then tend to flock to those countries in order to hinder their deportation due to the lack of extradition treaties.

Western officials display their lack of understanding regarding the laws of China, making it more difficult for Chinese officials to hunt the fugitives, Xu added.

The official also pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S.  President Barack Obama already agreed this month after the summit in Beijing that there will be an enhanced cooperation regarding the said fugitives. Xu hopes Washington will do more to limit the escape routes of the Chinese suspects.

A spokesman from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing released a statement saying the U.S. government is now strengthening laws for enforcement cooperation with China and that the country is committed to keep the Western nation from becoming a safe haven for the corrupt suspects.

The anticorruption plan of China has been initiated by President Xi Jinping and has been planned for two years now. In July this year, the Ministry of Public Security launched Fox Hunt 2014 in a bid to block the last route of escape for former Chinese officials who were corrupt.

According to Xinhua News Agency, foreign officials and Western governments have helped bring back to China 762 suspects related to the corruption cases. The recovered assets amount to more than US$1.7 billion.

TagsChina anti-graft drive, Fox Hunt 2014, U.S.-China