Fox Hunt row: US should not to be haven for criminals, says China

China's foreign ministry said today that the people recently arrested by the US were not Chinese law enforcement officers after Trump administration officials said they were part of "Operation Fox Hunt".

Also Read | Operation Fox Hunt: US arrests eight in alleged plot to intimidate citizens to return to China

"US is where the most number of fleeing Chinese suspects of corruption and economic crimes are hiding but in recent years, the US has been passive in responding to China's requests for cooperation," China's foreign ministry official Wang Wenbin had said.

Wenbin said the US should not become a "safe haven" for "criminals and their illegal assets."

The US government had charged eight people recently accusing them of coercing Chinese nationals in the country to return to their home country to face charges in a plot known as “Operation Fox Hunt” and “Operation Skynet".

China had reportedly launched a campaign in 2014 to get fugitives abroad to return to face charges.

US officials had arrested five suspects in New Jersey, New York and California and charged them with conspiring to act as illegal agents for a foreign government.

However, the Chinese foreign ministry dismissed the charges as  "baseless accusation and smears about Chinese efforts to pursue escaped criminals and recover stolen monies". 

"We urge the United States ... to shoulder its international obligations and promise, stop coveting after the ill-gotten gains of criminals, and don't be a safe haven for criminals and their illegal assets," the Chinese foreign ministry said.