HONG KONG, Feb. 16(Xinhuanet)-- China has become an important country in fighting against money laundering and terrorist financing by actively taking part in international cooperation, Deputy Governor of The People's Bank of China Li Ruogu said here Wednesday.

Speaking at an international conference entitled"Creating Global Partnership and Synergy in the Fight Against Money Laundering," Li said China will become a full member of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering(FATF), the most influential international anti-money laundering organization, in the middle of this year if everything goes smoothly.

In today's open and global financial world, the combats againstmoney laundering and terrorist financing have gone beyond nationalboundaries, Li said. Therefore, the efforts to protect the financial systems and markets from risks posed by money launderingand terrorist financing need to be both global and comprehensive.

China has engaged in a joint effort with international organizations, in particular, the United States, and signed a series of treaties on anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing, including the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes and the UN Convention Against Corruption, Li said.

In addition, China is an initial member of the Europe-Asian Group Against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing(EAG) and an observer of the FATF. It will get formal membership this year, Li said.

China has also strengthened relevant legislations construction by stipulating the basic obligations such as customer due diligence, record keeping and suspicious transaction reporting within financial institutions, Li said.

He added non-financial businesses and professions including real estate agents, dealers in precious metals and stones, trust and company service providers, lawyers and accountants will also be required to comply with the basic obligations of customer due diligence, record keeping and suspicious transaction reporting in the near future.