Story highlights Meng Hongwei is first Chinese official to head Interpol

China seeking international cooperation in hunt for corrupt officials overseas

Hong Kong (CNN) A top Chinese security minister has been elected president of the international crime fighting and police cooperation organization Interpol.

Meng Hongwei, China's vice minister for public security and a former head of Interpol China, took the post Thursday at the organization's general assembly in Bali, Indonesia.

According to a statement from Interpol, he said he stood ready to do everything he could towards the cause of policing the world. "We currently face some of the most serious global public security challenges since World War Two," said Mr Meng.

The move could bolster China's efforts to repatriate fugitive officials but critics have voiced concern that Beijing could use the crime-fighting body to track down dissidents based overseas.

He is the first Chinese official to become Interpol president, according to Xinhua