China Launches Fresh Manhunt for Fugitive Officials

What's new: China has launched the next round of its “Sky Net 2021” manhunt operation, aiming to capture more fugitive suspects and prevent more corrupt officials from fleeing, state media reported Wednesday.

The operation is targeting key cases in which allegedly corrupt officials in positions above the county-level fled the country with large amounts of illicit gains, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

Why it matters: A total of 1,421 fugitives were brought back to China during the 2020 “Sky Net” operation, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), the country’s top anti-graft body.

In addition, about 2.95 billion yuan ($457 million) in illicit gains were retrieved, CCDI said on Monday.

In the 2020 operation, the CCDI intensified the hunt for fugitives who were involved in corruption cases related to state-owned enterprises, the financial industry and the poverty alleviation sector, Xinhua reported.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the full story in Chinese, click here.

Contact reporter Lu Zhenhua (zhenhualu@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

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