China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Steps taken to ‘speed up’ corrupt fugitives’ return
China, US said to be ‘in advanced negotiations’ on 5 most-wanted officials
Chinese and US judicial authorities have been speeding up negotiations on returning five most wanted corrupt Chinese officials, who are still on the run in the United States, to face trial at home.
A senior official from the Communist Party of China Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said that “achievements have been made” on some major cases through judicial and diplomatic channels, although no bilateral extradition treaty was signed between the two countries.
The official, who declined to reveal his name, said Chinese law enforcement officers are seeking assistance from their US counterparts to return the five key corruption suspects, including Yang Xiuzhu, former deputy head of the Zhejiang Provincial Construction Bureau, and Xu Chaofan, former director of Bank of China’s Kaiping branch in Guangdong province.
Yang is suspected of illegal gains totaling 250 million yuan ($37 million) and illegal immigration, and has applied to the US to cancel her political asylum in the US to facilitate her return, according to the CCDI.
Xu, suspected of the theft of bank assets worth $483 million, is willing to come back to confess his crime, the source said.
“We will offer relevant evidence to our US counterparts in a timely manner and leave for the US at a proper time to conduct a joint investigation with
people can register for free and gain access to courses provided by universities.
The open online course concept became popular in 2012, when many top universities The in People’sthe United LiberationStates launchedArmy has harnessedsuch platforms.the power Likeof massivean offline open course,online coursesonline coursesas part of effortshave to assessmentseducate and and train examinations.its troops. Users can participateDream Class,in videoan intranetdiscussions, platform submit developed assignmentsand operated and takeby thea final National exam. University Onceof Defensea course Technology,is completed, has registeredusers receivemore thanan electronic 320,000 officers certificateand soldiersor a paper since copy. its launch Dream three Class, years whichago. enables The PLA service personnel offersto obtain about knowledge170 online coursesand skills that anywhere are designed and by the anytime, college was and launched13 PLA institutes.in August They 2013, cover becominga wide rangethe firstof subjects,massive openfrom online military courses equipment program and operational tactics to ballistic missile research and combat maneuvers.
Around 400 PLA teachers and researchers are involved in the program, said Wang Huaimin, deputy head of education at the university, which is in Changsha, Hunan province.
“We initiated this program in response to President Xi Jinping’s request that the university use special measures to train professionals badly on the Chinese mainland. In June 2014, the number of users reached 100,000, and by August that year the number had doubled. needed Soldiersby the with military,”an unidentified Wang said. “It combathas proved unit successfulin the Southernin fostering Theater officers Commandwho have adopted interdisciplinary knowledge knowledgethey learnedand are fromable to Dreamcarry out Class jointto improve operations.” drone reconnaissance He said tactics,all the accordingcourses combinedto Lei Yongjun,last morean officer than at 1,000the universityhours and featurewho a overseestotal of trainingnearly 10,000affairs. videos and 30,000 Another test questions.example, he said, was Wang that said techniciansthe operationfrom a communicationteam for the massive regiment openin the online Western courses Theaterhas handledCommand more than used 100 methods million learned pieces from Dream Classof data, including 420,000to upgrade student their signal questions equipmentand 190,000vehicle, answers resultingfrom teachers.in better efficiency. The two largest user groups are Fu from Qiang, the a Western professor Theaterwith the Command university’sand the School Centralof Theater Command, he said.
The massive open online courses concept was created in 2008 by two Canadian researchers who designed an online platform on which people can register for free and gain access to courses provided by universities.
The open online course concept became popular in 2012, when many top universities in the United States launched such platforms. Like an offline Electronic Science and Engineering, said one of his Dream Class students is a staff officer from a missile brigade who asked Fu to help solve course,a problemonline courses affecting havea type assessmentsof missile. and examinations. The Users professor can visited participatethe brigadein video and discussions, investigated submitthe problem. assignmentsHe then and workedtake a finalout a exam. solution that helped the unit clear Once up a coursethe difficulty.is completed,The problemusers receiveand its an solution electronic were certificate included or ina paperhis Dreamcopy. Class course Dream so Class, that which other enablesusers havingPLA personnelsimilar issuesto obtaincan learn knowledgeto handleand skills them, anywhereFu said. and Wu anytime,Yi, a senior was communication launched in August engineer 2013, from becomingthe Westernthe first massive Theater open Command, online said courses he programhas registeredon the Chinesefor almost mainland.all of the In Dream June Class 2014, coursesthe number becauseof users “they reachedwill significantly100,000, and expandmyby August horizons that year the and number knowledge had and doubled.will be Soldiersvery useful with tomyan unidentifiedwork”. combat unit in the Southern Theater Command adopted knowledge they learned from Dream Class to improve drone reconnaissance tactics, according to Lei Yongjun, an officer at the university who oversees training affairs.
Another example, he said, was that technicians from a communication regiment used methods learned from Dream Class to upgrade their signal equipment vehicle.