Some people in China doubt the effect of anti-corruption efforts, because they believe the death sentence is the most forceful punishment for criminals who have harmed the interests of the state and the public.

"It is overwhelmingly important that they be brought to justice," Dong said. "We should consider this issue from the perspective of the overall interests of our country. Not to exercise death sentence on them can or should not weaken the resolution and effect of anti-corruption."

From her point of view, extradition treaties are one of the efficient methods of rooting out corruption in bilateral cooperation. The treaties can send a signal to the fugitives that they can find no place to hide and they must face justice, she said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, China had signed 99 bilateral judicial assistance protocols with more than 50 countries and regions by the end of March 2008. They included 58 treaties in civil judicial assistance, 30 extradition treaties, five pacts on criminal transfer and six on crackdowns on separatists, extremists and terrorists.

China and Japan will start negotiating an extradition treaty and a criminal transfer treaty as soon as possible and work for signing the two treaties at the same time, according to a joint press communiqué issued during President Hu Jintao's visit to Japan in early May.

The treaties between China and Japan will be an extension of recent improvements in the relations between the two countries, Dong said. They will serve as a channel for higher-ranking officials to frequently connect with each other, thereby further contributing to the easing of existing tensions between the two countries, she said. Dong also stressed that China would not compromise on some issues, such as territorial integrity, if the issue were to be raised during the negotiations.

China does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. But were the two countries to start talks, the death penalty would not be a point of contention, because some U.S. states also enforce it, Dong said. Other complicated issues, including human rights, would block progress during such talks, she said. She believes China has a long way to go to work out an effective approach with the United States.

Nabbing the bad guys

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security show that Chinese police seized 56 top suspected economic criminals from more than 20 countries and regions, such as Kyrgyzstan, South Africa, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar in 2007. Dong said this was "an outstanding improvement" over previous years due to stronger efforts from China's police.

Owning to different legal systems, it is not easy for China to reach a consensus on extradition with other countries in a short time. But the conclusion of such treaties to date proves that China can cooperate flexibly with other nations, even in cases where no extradition treaties exist.

The Chinese Government usually communicates on a regular basis with its counterparts and reaches some judicial assistance agreements on individual cases. An example of a successful case is the repatriation of Yu Zhendong, a former manager of a Bank of China branch in Guangdong Province. He was accused of embezzling $82.5 million and was repatriated in 2004 from the United States. He was the first fugitive corrupt official transferred by American authorities after the two parties reached an agreement on criminal judicial assistance.

Other examples include Xu Xiaoxuan who was sent back to China from Australia in 2002 for his smuggling activities in a telecom company in Fujian Province. Yuan Tongshun, who appropriated 1 million yuan ($143,000) when he managed a state-owned medicine company in Liaoning Province, was transferred from Japan in May 2007.

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security indicate that there are more than 500 suspects of economic crimes, mostly corruption, at large overseas. They have been charged with crimes involving more than 70 billion yuan ($10 billion). Because most of these suspects have fled to Europe and the United States for refuge, there is an urgent need for China to sign more extradition treaties.

China and Canada have been collaborating on the case of Lai Changxing, the mastermind of the notorious smuggling case in Fujian Province, to determine whether he can be sent back to China. Lai, who worked with corrupt provincial officials, is accountable for smuggling $10 billion worth of goods. He fled to Canada in 1999 to avoid arrest.