Sky network. China has cast down the “celestial net.” Chinese intelligence services are successfully returning corrupt officials who fled to the United States to their homeland. The White House is already crying

20.11.2023

“Tianwan” – “Heavenly Network” is the name of the campaign launched in April in China to capture corrupt officials hiding abroad. According to People's Daily, "This is another major operation to pursue fugitive economic crime suspects, following a similar campaign called 'Fox Hunt' launched last year by the Ministry of Public Security.

Together with the Ministry of Security, several government and party institutions are participating in the new campaign, including Department of the CPC Central Committee for Organizational Work, Supreme Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China and the People's Bank of China. They are tasked with “making a concerted effort” to catch corrupt officials, cancel fraudulent certificates, liquidate underground banks, confiscate assets involved in criminal cases and force the return of suspects who have fled abroad. The decision to launch the “Sky Network” campaign was made at a meeting of the Central Coordination Group for the Fight against Corruption.

The once powerful Zhou Yongkang is no longer an "untouchable"

According to a newspaper published in Hong Kong South China Morning Post, the fight will be waged primarily against offshore companies and illegal banks involved in the illegal transfer of funds outside the PRC and money laundering. Persons who produce false licenses, passports and other documents will also be prosecuted. Deputy Secretary of the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Huang Shuxian noted that the initiator of the campaign to return fugitive corrupt officials to the PRC was Chinese President Xi Jinping, who declared the fight against corruption a priority of his policy, declaring that everyone will be persecuted - “both flies and tigers ". Among those already brought to justice is Zhou Yongkang, the former Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China and a former member of the most powerful political body in the People's Republic of China, the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee. Zhou is the highest-ranking official in Chinese history to be arrested on corruption charges. Opponents of Xi Jinping believe that the current leader of the PRC is using the problem of corruption in order to concentrate more power in his hands and fight against his political opponents. Among those being prosecuted for corruption cases, most often are people close to Xi Jinping's predecessors as head of the party and state, Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, who are trying to maintain their influence.

According to official data provided by the Party Discipline Inspection Commission, last year more than five hundred fugitive officials were returned to their homeland, and assets worth more than three billion yuan (about five hundred million dollars) were confiscated.

The US State Department has so far refused to comment on reports that Beijing has handed over to the American authorities another “priority” list of Chinese citizens suspected of corruption and taking refuge in the United States. However, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed that such lists had been shared in the past. China agreed to provide more detailed information to conduct an investigation into persons on American soil who are accused of economic crimes in the PRC. Psaki noted that there is no treaty on the extradition of suspects between China and the United States, but this does not mean that their extradition is excluded. But, according to Psaki, in such a situation more legal formalities will be required. In general, the absence of an extradition treaty does not mean that Washington and Beijing cannot cooperate in the fight against corruption, the State Department spokeswoman emphasized, who also said that those accused of such crimes could be convicted in an American court. In Los Angeles, a former Chinese official was recently detained on the basis of materials provided by the PRC prosecutor's office.

The Chinese authorities have a lot of methods to achieve their goals. Both official and unofficial.

Since 2013, both in the press and at the level of party plenums, the issue has been discussed that many relatives of Chinese high-ranking officials live abroad and, in fact, are the holders of the capital of these officials, notes the sinologist, head of the Center for Oriental Studies at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. :

– According to Chinese official estimates, almost 12 billion dollars were exported abroad in this way. American analysts multiply this figure by at least an order of magnitude. And they are essentially talking about the disintegration of the Chinese Communist Party due to such an outflow. Naturally, its center today is the United States. And the Americans turned a blind eye to this for a long time. As I understand it, they believe that by doing so they can hold the Chinese officials themselves hostage, having dirt on them. Quite a large amount of Chinese money is now in the UK, as well as in small European countries. Cash flow also goes to Germany. Since formally there were no criminal proceedings involving this money, at least until now, European countries accepted this money with pleasure. On the other hand, part of the money flows to New Zealand and Australia and is invested in local banks there. The outflow of funds goes through Hong Kong and Singapore. It is no coincidence that people have recently drawn attention to the fact that the number of accounts and money in accounts that may be somehow affiliated with Chinese officials has suddenly increased sharply over the past year or two. This is largely due to the fact that serious checks are already underway on the territory of the PRC of the origin of the capital of Chinese high-ranking officials.

– How do the authorities act? Are relatives being blackmailed? Are they putting pressure on you? Are they checking everyone?

– The Chinese authorities have a lot of methods to achieve their goals. Both official and unofficial. In China, small groups are quite active, which are formally part of the party control system and are part of the commission for verifying party discipline. They can detain Chinese officials for some time without trial. Formally, this is framed as a “party trial,” although in fact we are talking about a kidnapping for 1-2 days. Such groups can exert quite harsh influence. As a result, officials may admit both their personal participation in corruption and the participation of their colleagues in it. And there were cases when, as a result of such short “checks,” criminal cases were initiated.

“The celestial network is wide, its cells are rare, but they do not let anything through.” This is a clear message for the Chinese, for Chinese officials: not a single person can escape inspections

The level of income and expenses of major Chinese officials is also checked. As soon as a discrepancy arises, very serious interrogations immediately begin, including interrogations of relatives, friends and witnesses. A number of Chinese commissions are active on the Internet. For example, several scandals have recently broken out when major Chinese officials appeared on various Chinese social networks in front of very expensive cars, in expensive massage parlors, and expensive restaurants, which is highly discouraged for major Chinese officials.

Regarding the return of money, the Chinese authorities are actively negotiating, including with the US authorities, for example, on mutual control and exchange of information. The fact is that the topic of concentrating control over finances in the hands of the state is now extremely important for China. In this case, officials have become, in the opinion of the Chinese leadership, the most vulnerable part of the Chinese leadership, since they can be blackmailed due to holdings abroad, and this reduces China’s weight in the international arena, since it erodes the image of a “respectable partner.” Plus, today in the territories of many countries of the world, including in Russia, Chinese groups and commissions work officially or unofficially, which find out the level of investment of family members of Chinese officials, even those officially living abroad. If there are inconsistencies, an inspection also begins first at the level of the party discipline inspection commission, and then criminal cases can be initiated.

– Are these types of actions related to Xi Jinping coming to power in China? Or did it all start earlier?

– Formally, the anti-corruption campaign has been active for the last five years. However, Xi Jinping launched an anti-corruption campaign, this “Heavenly Network”, which is supposed to catch corrupt officials. The concept of “Heavenly Network” itself refers to the famous Chinese phrase - “The celestial network is wide, its cells are rare, but they do not let anything through.” This is a clear message for the Chinese, for Chinese officials: not a single person can escape inspections. Immediately after coming to power at the end of 2013, Xi Jinping immediately emphasized in his keynote speech that corruption today threatens not only the Communist Party of China, but also the existence of developed China as such. And if earlier there were so-called. “untouchables”, first of all members of the Central Committee, the Politburo of the Central Committee, today there are no untouchables. It is no coincidence that the Chinese say that previously you could only hit flies, but now you can also hit tigers. The population is generally very active in supporting this campaign. Conversations that officials are corrupt and are starting to fatten on people's money have been going on for the last 3-4 years. And in this regard, an important point is the social component of Xi Jinping’s policy, that is, not so much to catch these officials, but to restore the people’s trust in the leadership of the state.

“But there are accusations against Xi Jinping that he is using this anti-corruption campaign to deal with his political opponents...

– Of course, there is also a political subtext here. Xi Jinping and the PRC leadership are very concerned that financial corruption is linked to the formation of regional elites who are trying to behave independently of the center. You should not think that the anti-corruption campaign is going absolutely smoothly and calmly. Criticism comes precisely because in China there is no single official. They are all members of some clans, families. Since arrests are often accompanied by the confiscation of all property from relatives who may be suspected of involvement, this causes dissatisfaction among many. It must be taken into account that serious opposition to Xi Jinping’s policies is being exerted by a number of wealthy southern clans, which form a very important part of the Chinese economy. These are clans from Guangzhou, from Fujian, which in one way or another are associated with Hong Kong financial groups. And now, in fact, there is some kind of bargaining going on between the central authorities and the southern group over the fact that the southern group is beginning to behave in an absolutely acceptable manner and within the framework of the state strategy. But its officials and its members are not touched, they will be left alone.

It's no secret that high-ranking thieves dump all their stolen goods on the Don (there is no extradition from the Don!) to London or Florida. No one is extradited from there either. Just bring the money. And exactly such non-comrades as Major General Anatoly Petukhov are sitting on their butts, with hundreds of millions of dollars in their pockets, honestly earned in the service of the fatherland. And you couldn't touch him. He, you know, a businessman, honestly bought an economic visa!

Well, the Chinese treat them easier - they put them in a string bag and rinse them off in the bathtub! They have specially trained personnel!

For 2014-2016 As part of the Heavenly Network campaign, 2,566 dishonest officials hiding in more than 90 countries were returned to China, Xinhua reported. Half of them came home on their own, having written a confession. The capital they had exported was also returned - 8.6 billion yuan ($1.25 billion). At the same time, government officials say that because of the “Heavenly Network,” “the number of officials who are trying to flee abroad with their capital has noticeably decreased,” because “they understand that they will be found.”

And for those who don't understand:

Chinese intelligence services successfully return corrupt officials who fled to the United States to their homeland

The White House is already crying:

The White House called on Beijing to stop the activities of secret agents who are trying to force Chinese refugees in the United States to return to China. According to the New York Times, these intelligence officers are likely entering the United States under the guise of tourists or on business visas.

Nevertheless, Beijing does not give up hope for retribution and “headhunters” are constantly sent to the United States, whose goal is to find fugitives and, in a semi-legal way, return them to the Celestial Empire to bring them to justice. The result, as a rule, is execution. The Chinese are quite successful; in 2014 alone, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China managed to return to their homeland more than 930 people who had left the country. This campaign even received the official name “Fox Hunt”. However, the States themselves have an extremely negative attitude towards this practice and are trying with all their might to stop the activities of Chinese agents on their territory. Washington demands that Beijing stop looking for corrupt officials who fled from China to the United States....

Well, China liked it - Xi Jinping and Wang Qishan launched Operation Heavenly Network 2017

During the NPC and CPPCC sessions, the Xi Jinping administration decided to prematurely launch Operation Heavenly Network 2017 to eliminate the offshore companies and shadow banking system through which Jiang Zemin's people transferred embezzled money abroad. Former Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China Zeng Qinghong, former Chairman of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference of China Jia Qinglin, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli and member of the Central Committee of the Politburo Liu Yunshan and other supporters of Jiang Zemin have offshore companies. Jiang Zemin himself keeps his money in Switzerland. /epochtimes.ru/

According to the official website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, on March 7, the Xi Jinping administration held a meeting on the issue of international prosecution of fugitive corrupt officials and the return of their stolen capital. It was decided to launch Operation SkyNet 2017 in advance. As part of this campaign, the Ministry of Public Security will conduct Operation Fox Hunt to track down corrupt officials who have fled abroad. The People's Bank of China and the Ministry of Public Security are responsible for the liquidation of offshore companies and the shadow banking system, and the Supreme People's Procuratorate of the PRC is responsible for the arrest of corrupt officials and the return of capital.

The message emphasizes that the search for fugitive corrupt officials and the return of stolen capital is an important segment in Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption fight.

Last year, 1,032 officials were returned, including 134 civil servants and 19 people on the Red List of fugitive Chinese corrupt officials. At the same time, 2.4 billion yuan were returned.

Chinese political commentator Shi Shi said that Xi Jinping and Wang Qishan during the NPC and CPPCC sessions decided to launch Operation Heavenly Net ahead of schedule, which undoubtedly scared all the party corrupt officials, especially Jiang Zemin's people.

According to Agence France-Presse, a 2011 report by the People's Bank of China showed that many high-ranking officials were moving more than $120 billion worth of ill-gotten assets abroad.

And Vietnam is following the same path - the German Foreign Ministry declared the intelligence representative at the Vietnamese Embassy in Berlin persona non grata after the kidnapping of a Vietnamese businessman from the German capital

www.globallookpress.com 00:05 04/06/2017 Ekaterina Barova 2736

"Sky Network" China returns capital and embezzlers to their homeland

The Celestial Empire has learned not only to catch corrupt officials, but also to return what they stole to the treasury.

Corrupt officials in China are caught by entire clans. Xi Jinping, the head of the People's Republic of China, called on “to beat flies and tigers”: both small bribe-takers and high-ranking embezzlers are caught red-handed. © / www.globallookpress.com

According to Chinese laws, for illegal “income” over 100 thousand yuan (a little more than 800 thousand rubles), an official faces a minimum of 10 years in prison. Moreover, gifts worth more than 200 yuan (1,624 rubles) are considered a bribe leading to prison. In 2016, the PRC clearly defined the size of the bribe for which a “tower” is due: from 460 thousand dollars. “Since 2000, about 10 thousand officials have been shot in China for corruption, another 120 thousand received 10-20 years conclusions,” news agencies report, citing Chinese statistical data. Statistics also show that since 2012, 1 million officials have been punished in one way or another in China.

And another very powerful psychological tool of pressure: all the property of the executed corrupt officials is confiscated, and the family receives a bill for 8 yuan (65 rubles) - for 2 bullets, with the help of which the sentence was carried out. The result is that the scale of corruption is decreasing. And not only due to arrests. For example, the Communist Party limited the desire of Chinese officials for luxury. They are prohibited from hosting luxurious dinners, including those in honor of welcoming foreigners. It is prohibited to build luxurious dachas, purchase expensive apartments, and even build new buildings for regional and city party committees. Any citizen can report violations to the Party Control Committee. And then the law enforcement officers check the signal.

Alexey Maslov, orientalist, head of the School of Oriental Studies at the Higher School of Economics, believes that the Chinese experience can be applied in Russia: “And we can even do without introducing the death penalty for corruption crimes. But a systematic approach and the inevitability of punishment are really necessary.”

The message emphasizes that the search for fugitive corrupt officials and the return of stolen capital is an important segment in Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption fight.

Since the Xi administration established the Office for the International Prosecution of Fugitive Officials and the Return of Their Illegally Acquired Property in 2014, Operation Heavenly Net 2015, Operation Heavenly Net 2016 have been carried out, with Operation Heavenly Net 2015 launched on 26 March, and "Sky Network 2016" - April 21.

According to official data, since 2014, 2,560 fugitive officials from more than 70 countries and regions have been returned to China. Last year, 1,032 officials were returned, including 134 civil servants and 19 people on the Red List of fugitive Chinese corrupt officials. At the same time, 2.4 billion yuan were returned.

According to Agence France-Presse, a 2011 report by the People's Bank of China showed that many high-ranking officials were moving more than $120 billion worth of ill-gotten assets abroad.

In April last year, the Panama Papers were published by Mossack Fonseca, concerning the offshore secrets of influential people and officials. The Chinese rank first in the number of those who opened offshore companies, including the younger brother of former Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China Zeng Qinghong, daughter-in-law of Politburo Central Committee member Liu Yunshan, son-in-law of Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli, granddaughter of the former chairman of the National People's Political Committee China's Advisory Council Jia Qinglin, as well as the daughter of the former Minister of Public Security of the People's Republic of China Jia Chunwan, etc. All of the officials listed are supporters of Jiang Zemin.

According to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism, Mossack Fonseca & Co has established eight branches in different cities of China: Shenzhen, Ningbo, Qingdao, Dalian, Shanghai, Hongzhou, Nanjing and Jinan.

Until the end of 2015, Mossack Fonseca & Co. received commissions from 16,300 offshore companies created by its Chinese and Hong Kong subsidiaries.

In addition, the shadow banking system is also one of the ways through which Chinese corrupt officials transfer their capital abroad. According to the media, Zeng Qinghong's daughter-in-law, together with a property owner in Harbin, used the shadow banking system to withdraw more than $100 billion yuan.

According to observer Shi, the hidden meaning of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection's statement that the search for fugitive corrupt officials and the return of stolen capital is an important segment in Xi Jinping's anti-corruption fight is that it primarily concerns party officials, especially supporters of Jiang Zemin and himself.

Sends hunters on the trail.

Chinese intelligence services are successfully returning corrupt officials who fled to the United States to their homeland. The White House is already crying...

The White House called on Beijing to stop the activities of secret agents who force Chinese refugees in the United States to return to China.

According to the New York Times, these intelligence officers are most likely entering the United States under the guise of tourists or on business visas...

It's no secret to anyone that high-ranking thieves get away with all the stolen goods

To the Don (There is no issue from the Don!) To London or Florida.

No one is extradited from there either.

Just bring the money.

\And exactly such non-comrades as Major General Anatoly Petukhov are sitting on their butts, with a hundred million dollars in their pockets, honestly earned in the service of the fatherland. And you couldn't touch him. He, you know, a businessman, honestly bought an economic visa!

Well, the Chinese treat them easier - they put them in a string bag and rinse them off in the bathtub! They have specially trained personnel!

For 2014-2016 As part of the Heavenly Network campaign, 2,566 dishonest officials hiding in more than 90 countries were returned to China, Xinhua reported. Half of them came home on their own, having written a confession. The capital they had exported was also returned - 8.6 billion yuan ($1.25 billion). At the same time, government officials say that because of the “Heavenly Network,” “the number of officials who are trying to escape with capital abroad has noticeably decreased,” because “they understand that they will be found

And for those who don't understand:

Chinese intelligence services successfully return corrupt officials who fled to the United States to their homeland

The White House is already crying:

The White House called on Beijing to stop the activities of secret agents who are trying to force Chinese refugees in the United States to return to China. According to the New York Times, these intelligence officers are likely entering the United States under the guise of tourists or on business visas.

The result, as a rule, is execution.

The Chinese are quite successful; in 2014 alone, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China managed to return to their homeland more than 930 people who had left the country. This campaign even received the official name “Fox Hunt”. However, the States themselves have an extremely negative attitude towards this practice and are trying with all their might to stop the activities of Chinese agents on their territory. Washington demands that Beijing stop looking for corrupt officials who fled from China to the United States....

Well, China liked it - Xi Jinping and Wang Qishan launched Operation Heavenly Network 2017

Former Vice Chairman of the People's Republic of China Zeng Qinghong, former Chairman of the National Committee of the People's Political Consultative Conference of China Jia Qinglin, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Zhang Gaoli and member of the Central Committee of the Politburo Liu Yunshan and other supporters of Jiang Zemin have offshore companies.

Jiang Zemin himself keeps his money in Switzerland. /epochtimes.ru/

The message emphasizes that the search for fugitive corrupt officials and the return of stolen capital is an important segment in Xi Jinping’s anti-corruption fight.

Last year, 1,032 officials were returned, including 134 civil servants and 19 people on the “Red List” of fugitive Chinese corrupt officials. At the same time, 2.4 billion yuan were returned.

According to Agence France-Presse, a 2011 report by the People's Bank of China showed that many high-ranking officials were moving more than $120 billion worth of ill-gotten assets abroad.