A landmark joint operation between Australia and China sends a signal that China's anti-corruption campaign, which was launched by China's new leaders when they took office in 2012, has extended its reach overseas. According to the Australian Federal Police (AFP), they have joined forces with their Chinese counterparts to track down and seize the assets of Chinese government officials who live in Australia and are suspected of corruption.

Called "Fox Hunt," this operation will see actions taken in the following weeks. According to media reports, both sides have agreed on a priority list which was culled from a broader one of no less than 100 people. Some high-profile fugitives such as Gao Yan, former secretary of the Yunnan Party provincial committee, are expected to be apprehended.

There are still no exact official statistics to show how many corrupt officials have fled overseas and how much money they have pocketed. But according to the Washington-based Global Financial Integrity Group, about $3 trillion was transferred out of China illegally between 2005 and 2011.

Large portions of the money flowed to the US, Canada and Australia, which are widely known to be the havens of these corrupt officials. By resorting to all kinds of ways, they are able to launder the money, acquire citizenship and escape justice.

Although there are no extradition treaties, a progressive consensus has taken shape between China and these countries to form an alliance to hunt down corrupt officials on the run. This agreement with Australia is a breakthrough after a few years' efforts. It will serve as a fine example, and the cooperative model can be re-employed.

This milestone indicates that the international community, especially the West, has found more common ground with China in the endeavor to fight corruption. Some old disagreements, such as how to preserve the legal rights of these corrupt officials when they are sent back and how to deal with the illicit money, must have been fully discussed and common views must have been made.

We need down-to-earth achievements, such as capturing some big shots, to send a warning. In this way, this overseas operation is expected to deal a solid blow to these fugitive officials and sound a deadly alarm to anyone who is considering following the same path.