The United Arab Emirates will never become a safe haven for criminals involved in corruption, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday as he described progress on extradition cooperation.

Wang and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation, co-chaired in Beijing the first meeting of the China-UAE Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee.

"I raised the issue of cooperation in the fight against corruption as well as the pursuit of fugitives and recovery of their assets with Minister Abdullah, and he responded very actively," Wang said.