Lao police hand over 494 fraud suspects to China

Lao police have repatriated 494 fraud suspects to China, as the two countries continue to strengthen cooperation in cracking down on cross-border telecom fraud, China's Ministry of Public Security said on Friday.

Law enforcement in Laos seized the suspects during a special crackdown launched in response to a number of scammers and scam centers relocating to the country this year, due to intensified operations against telecom fraud in neighboring Cambodia.

A ministry official said Chinese police will step up cooperation with relevant countries to combat cross-border telecom fraud, including dismantling scam dens and apprehending their sponsors, as well as repatriating fraud suspects.

Public security organs in Sichuan and Chongqing have been ordered to receive the suspects and carry out relevant work in accordance with the law.

The 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting concluded in east China's Suzhou on Saturday, yielding fruitful results and laying significant groundwork for the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.

The trade ministers' meeting focused on "building an open and predictable regional and multilateral economic and trade order" and "fostering new engines of innovative and dynamic trade and investment cooperation."

Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao briefed the media on the meeting's outcomes at a press conference.

Wang said the meeting issued a joint statement titled the Suzhou Statement, and approved the latest edition of the APEC Roadmap for Innovative, Competitive and Resilient Services.

All parties agreed to advance policy innovation and reform in services trade, build an open and predictable investment environment, improve regional trade facilitation and supply chain resilience, strengthen standards coordination, and enhance intellectual property protection, Wang told the media.

He also said that substantial progress was made on a framework document for regional digital trade cooperation and the ministers emphasized promoting inclusive AI development, strengthening AI-related trade, and bridging the digital divide to ensure shared benefits from digital transformation.

The minister noted that the outcomes of the meeting demonstrated strong cooperation willingness, highlighted an innovation-oriented approach, and reflected inclusiveness and shared benefits. "The fact that Asia-Pacific economies can come together, uphold the original aspiration of promoting trade and investment liberalization and facilitation while supporting economic growth and prosperity, and engage in in-depth discussions on the important issue of 'where multilateral and regional economic and trade cooperation is headed,' fully demonstrates that open regionalism and true multilateralism enjoy broad support, and that mutual success and shared development serve the fundamental interests of all economies," Wang said.