China's Ministry of Public Security Tuesday launched an operation to hunt down economic crime suspects who have fled the country.

The operation, dubbed Fox Hunt 2014, will last until the end of this year and will strengthen international cooperation among police, the ministry said.

Relatives of the suspects are encouraged to persuade them to turn themselves in and return to China. The ministry will also offer cash rewards to people who can provide tip-offs on the whereabouts of the suspects.

Liu Jinguo, vice-minister of public security, said at a Tuesday conference that some of these fugitives are involved in corruption crimes and the operation is directly linked to central authorities' anti-corruption campaign.

Since 2008, police and prosecutors across China have successfully extradited more than 730 economic crime suspects from 54 countries and regions.