China has been getting good international cooperation in its campaign to return suspected corrupt officials who had fled abroad, including tip-offs from overseas and help from the media, the Party's graft watchdog said yesterday.

Earlier this year, the government unveiled an initiative called "Sky Net" to better coordinate its fight to return corrupt officials and published a list of 100 suspects believed to be abroad and subject to an Interpol "red notice."

"Since the release of the 100-person 'red notice' list, our country has had positive cooperation with many other countries' legal authorities, and signs have appeared of some suspects abroad who have been hidden for a long time and thought they'd got away with it," the watchdog said.

"Media at home and abroad have dug deep, the people have proactively paid attention, people here and overseas have enthusiastically offered tips," the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection added.

As of the end of May, 214 suspects had been returned to the country, according to the government.

China's graft fight has been hampered to an extent by the difficulty in getting corrupt officials and assets back from overseas.

China does not have extradition treaties with the United States or Canada — the two most popular destinations for suspected economic criminals.

The graft watchdog said that no country wished to be viewed as a "safe haven" for the corrupt.