Story highlights U.S. officials say Chinese law enforcement officers pressure expatriates to return to China

China says it's fighting corruption and not doing anything illegal

(CNN) U.S. diplomats have warned China to stop using covert law enforcement agents on U.S. soil to pressure Chinese citizens into returning home to face justice, often on corruption charges, United States officials confirmed to CNN.

Placing a law enforcement official here without notifying American authorities is criminal, the officials said.



China They acknowledged the United States and China have a legal cooperation treaty but stressed that it requires China to share evidence and work through the U.S. legal system.China responded Monday through its state news agency , Xinhua, saying China was simply fighting corruption with a program called Fox Hunt 2015.

"China's operation is legitimate and has been approved in bilateral agreements reached earlier this year," China said. " 'Fox Hunt 2015,' which targets corrupt officials of government departments and state-owned enterprises, is an important effort of China to crack down [on] corruption."

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