The anti-corruption campaign that has swept across China in the past two years has gone global, as Beijing seeks to enlist the help of western democratic governments in pursuing officials who flee overseas.

Underlining Beijing’s rising economic and political clout, Communist party officials have already launched an investigation into assets and individuals based in New Zealand. It is unclear whether that investigation was conducted inside New Zealand or from China, but investigators have requested permission to interview people there.

In an operation labelled “Fox Hunt 2014”, the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, a shadowy organisation with a controversial human rights record, has set up a dedicated office to investigate allegedly corrupt officials who have absconded or sent relatives and assets abroad.