How China and Australia Confiscate the Proceeds of Crime — and Why It Matters for the Rule of Law

In this comparative law commentary, we examine Professor Li Mingwei’s influential 2025 study 《犯罪所得及其法律规制研究》 (Research on Criminal Proceeds and Their Legal Regulation).What counts as “criminal proceeds” in Chinese law? How are assets traced, frozen, or confiscated — even without conviction? And how does China’s evolving regime compare with Australia’s Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Cth)?

Through bilingual legal analysis, we explore key concepts like 犯罪所得 (fànzuì suǒdé), 非定罪没收 (fēi dìngzuì méishōu), and 程序正义 (chéngxù zhèngyì) — connecting moral theory, financial regulation, and procedural fairness.This one-hour episode bridges two legal cultures, showing how both seek to balance efficiency, equity, and ethics in the pursuit of justice.#china #Law, #australia

Time Stamps
00:00 - Proceeds of Crime
00:43 - Part 1 – Introduction and Legal Background - Introduction: When Money Becomes Evidence - 1. Historical trajectory of China’s approach
06:14 - Section 1 – Legal Background: From Moral Condemnation to Financial Regulation
10:16 - 2. The problem of tracing and transformation/Recovery and Substitution (追缴与替代 Zhuījiǎo yǔ tìdài)
13:09 - 3. Institutional architecture: who controls the confiscation process?
15:36 - 4. Emerging context: digital assets and cross-border flows
17:47 - Summary of Section 1
19:05 - Part 2 – Section 2 – Core Legal Analysis: From Moral Fault to Asset Neutralization
20:24 - 1. Conceptual Transformation: From ‘Evil Wealth’ to ‘Illicit Property’
22:55 - 2. Procedural Innovation: Confiscation Without Conviction (非定罪没收 Fēi dìngzuì mòshōu)
26:34 - 3. The Evidentiary Puzzle: Burden and Standard of Proof
29:39 - 4. Comparative Jurisprudence: Between Control and Rights
31:45 - 5. The Economic Dimension: Asset Recovery as Governance Tool
33:56 - 6. Emerging Trends and Transnational Convergence
36:27 - Section Summary
37:41 - Part 3 – Challenges, Reform Directions, and Key Vocabulary - Section 3 – Challenges and Reform Directions
38:36 - 1. Challenge One: Ambiguous Scope of “Criminal Proceeds”
40:35 - 2. Challenge Two: Protection of Third-Party Interests
42:32 - 3. Challenge Three: Balance Between Efficiency and Due Process
44:10 - 4. Challenge Four: Digital and Cross-Border Enforcement
46:18 - 5. Challenge Five: Preventing Abuse and Institutional Overreach
48:12 - Section 4 – Vocabulary and Reflection
50:19 - Reflection Questions
51:13 - Section Summary
52:18 - Part 4 – Conclusion – The Moral Economy of Justice
55:35 - Reflective Closing
56:53 - Comparative Bilingual Glossary

“Tracing the Shadow of Money: Criminal Proceeds, Legal Governance, and Comparative Insights between China and Australia.” Based on Li, M. (2025). *犯罪所得及其法律规制研究*. *Legal Studies of Criminal Justice*, 12(3), 115–141.

China criminal law, proceeds of crime, confiscation, asset forfeiture, Australia comparative law, FATF standards, anti-money laundering, Li Mingwei, 2025 legal reform, procedural fairness, non-conviction confiscation, digital asset law, legal podcast, Chinese law explained, legal governance, rule of law China Australia

#ComparativeLaw #CriminalProceeds #ChinaLaw #AustraliaLaw #ProceedsOfCrime #RuleOfLaw #LegalPodcast #犯罪所得 #智能执法

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Proceeds of Crime (Commonwealth) Senate Committee Inquiry Report (2020). Parliament of Australia.
Secondary and Comparative Literature
Gao, M. (2024). *The transnational confiscation of digital assets: Chinese legal responses and comparative insights. Journal of Financial Crime and Governance, 18(4), 403–422.
Zhang, Y. (2023). From corruption to compliance: The moral economy of confiscation in Chinese criminal law. Tsinghua Law Review, 15(2), 201–228.
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Guo, L. (2022). Procedural fairness and administrative discretion in Chinese criminal enforcement. Peking University Law Journal, 20(1), 77–99.
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O’Brien, M., & Harmer, R. (2023). Confiscation as prevention: Evaluating the Proceeds of Crime Act twenty years on. Sydney Law Review, 45(2), 311–338.

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