Chinese police have traced more than 300 wanted officials who have allegedly fled abroad with illegal earnings since 1998, Wu Heping, spokesman of the Ministry of Public Security, said on Tuesday.

Wu said police had strengthened their intelligence on the activities of fugitive suspects and cooperated with international organizations to trace the individuals and recover the stolen money.

He would not reveal how many of the 300 officials had been arrested, saying only that 37 were arrested and returned to China in 2006.

He said Hu Xing, former vice general director of the Transport Department of Yunnan, who disappeared in January, was wanted in connection with a serious economic crime, but he gave no further details on the crime or the investigation.

A report by the Ministry of Commerce research institute in 2004 said about 4,000 Chinese officials suspected of crimes involving US$50 billion had fled overseas since China launched economic reforms in 1978.

The government had stepped up international cooperation to trace wanted officials, concluding 72 judicial cooperation agreements with 48 countries and treaties on extradition with 24 countries, Wu said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2007)