Click to enlarge. Do you recognise any of these faces?

China has issued a list of its top 100 officials and others wanted on suspicion of corruption who are believed to have fled abroad, the latest step in President Xi Jinping’s aggressive campaign to rein in graft.

New Zealand was the third most popular destination for the wanted fugitives, with between 11 and 20 thought to have fled there.

The ruling Communist Party’s corruption watchdog agency said Interpol has issued arrest notices for all 100. The body, known as the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, said the majority of fugitives were believed to have fled to the U.S. and Canada.

Bribery, embezzlement and fraud appeared to be the most common charges listed when photos of the suspects were splashed across two pages of the official China Daily newspaper on Thursday, along with their suspected crimes and personal information such as ages, hometowns and languages they speak.

“We will strengthen cooperation with the law enforcement agencies of relevant countries, fully avail ourselves of all available resources and turn corrupt elements into objects of hatred to be snatched back and made to face justice,” the commission said.

The war on corruption launched in 2013 has seen thousands of officials investigated and the arrests of numerous serving or former senior party members.

Beijing estimates that since the mid-1990s, 16,000 to 18,000 corrupt officials and employees of state-owned enterprises have fled China or gone into hiding with pilfered assets totaling more than $135 billion.

Wow, 18000, and if NZ was the 3rd most popular destination, how many do you think might be hiding out here?

Someone should perhaps tell the Chinese investigators to check out the donors lists from NZ’s major political parties.