Southwest China's Yunnan Province has become a popular gateway into hiding for corrupt Chinese officials, reports Thursday's Legal Daily.

An increasing number of officials wanted by the Chinese authorities for economic crimes are fleeing the country by crossing the Yunnan border into Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

There are a number of escape routes, since Yunnan shares 4,060 kilometers of border with these three countries, one fifth of China's total land border length.

"For criminals, Yunnan has a favorable geographical position from which to flee the country," Wang Yafeng, vice-director of Yunnan's Anti-corruption Bureau, said.

Statistics from the Yunnan Provincial government show that Yunnan has arrested 204 suspects plotting to flee the country since 1998, including 34 who had fled to other countries.

Up until May 2006, there were 800 suspects wanted for economic crimes at large overseas. They are accused of embezzling nearly 70 billion yuan (US$875 million), according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Wang added that corrupt officials also chose to seek asylum in the United States, Britain and Canada in particular, as well as in developing countries in Africa and Latin America.

Wang said the Yunnan Provincial Public Security Department had strengthened its measures in tracking down these suspects by carrying out more inspections at airports and at border points.

The provincial government has also signed several agreements with Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to track down suspects.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2007)