The United States will continue to help Chinese authorities repatriate criminal suspects to China, visiting US Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Robert Mueller said Wednesday in Beijing.

"We've already had a number of successes as the result of such law enforcement cooperation," said Mueller, adding the latest example is the repatriation of Yu Zhendong, who is accused of embezzling as much as US$500 million in China. US federal agents turned him over to Chinese police last Friday.

The two countries have vowed to strengthen such law enforcement collaboration, as well as working to fight terrorism and international crime.

China believes cooperation on law enforcement issues is important, as it will enhance bilateral ties, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Zhou Yongkang said during his meeting with Mueller.

"The future of law enforcement is working cooperatively together, not only within a particular country but also with our counterparts overseas," Mueller said.

The FBI director also called for increased international cooperation against terrorism, saying that only "by working together cooperatively... we will be able to overcome those threats and protect the safety of our people."

"The most important thing for us is the exchange of intelligence, the exchange of information quickly and swiftly to address threats, particularly the threat of terrorism," he said.

"In the past, we had those exchanges of intelligence information that have been so necessary to prevent terrorist attack," he noted.

Mueller said that Asia must be vigilant against terrorist attacks, and warned Beijing that Islamic fundamentalists in China are also a threat. 

"Just because you have not seen substantial terrorist attacks in China does not mean there could not be in the future, or in other countries in Asia," he warned.

Reviewing his first visit to China, the FBI director said a strong foundation for cooperation has been established between the FBI and public security officials and the Ministry of State Security.

Mueller said he also had discussions with Chinese officials about the necessity of strongly enforcing intellectual property laws.

"As the technology in China grows, as the capability in China grows, China will have as much of an incentive as the rest of the world to protect intellectual property rights," Mueller said.

The FBI now has a small attaché office in Beijing that has been instrumental in working on the issue between the two nations, Mueller told reporters.

"My expectation is the cooperation undertaken by the attaché office can grow in the future," the director said.

(China Daily and CRI, April 22, 2004)