Legal officials of China and the United States in Beijing Wednesday began a discussion about furthering law enforcement cooperation in the fields such as anti-narcotics, illegal emigration and anti-terrorism.  

This is the fourth meeting of the China-US Joint Liaison Group (JLG) on law enforcement cooperation, which was founded in 1998 with an aim to promote bilateral cooperation in combating crime.

Officials coming from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Justice, the US Department of State and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation joined the two-day meeting.

They will hold in-depth discussion on the cooperation in enforcing China-US agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, combating transnational crimes, anti-narcotics, the return of fugitives and illegal emigration.

Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei and the US Ambassador to China Clark T. Randt addressed the opening ceremony of the meeting.

The Chinese delegation is headed by Liu Zhenmin, director-general of the Foreign Ministry's Department of Treaty and Law; while the US delegation is headed by Elizabeth Verville, senior advisor of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US Department of State, and Bruce Swartz, the US deputy assistant attorney-general.

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2005)