BEIJING: China will this year enact a law on combating cross-border corruption to advance the national legal framework overseeing anti-corruption, its top legislature's work report released on Monday (March 9) showed.
The National People's Congress Standing Committee, the government body within the parliament that holds lawmaking power in China, did not detail what the law will target specifically but the legislation would be an expansionary move to beef up China's campaign against corruption.
China's leadership has waged a broad anti-corruption crackdown across departments, especially targeting military top brass, in a campaign President Xi Jinping ordered when he came into power in 2012.
Last week, Xi demanded the military be loyal to the ruling Communist Party and root out corruption.
In another work report, the Supreme People's Court said China's courts concluded 22.4% more corruption cases last year, involving 40,000 individuals.
Among those punished were 57 former central management officials, including former Agriculture Minister Tang Renjian and former party secretary for Hainan province Luo Baoming, according to the report.
Chinese courts also repatriated corrupt officials who had fled overseas, leading to the recovery of 18.14 billion yuan (US$2.6 billion) in illicit gains.
Courts also targeted new forms of corruption, such as arrangements for expected returns, agreed shareholdings and "revolving door" corruption between officials and businesses, the report said.
China's top legislature will also enact a law protecting the rights and interests of Chinese citizens overseas, revise laws for the central bank and banking regulation, and strengthen research on artificial intelligence legislation.
Both legislative and judicial work reports, presented at the second plenary session of ongoing parliament annual meetings, were submitted for deliberation. (US$1 = 6.9188 Chinese yuan renminbi) - Reuters
