Interpol said on Thursday Chinese public security official Meng Hongwei was the global police cooperation body's new president.The official announcement from the body, headquartered in the French city of Lyon, followed an earlier announcement on the issue in China

Vice Minister of Public Security Meng Hongwei was chosen as the new head of the global police organization at its annual general assembly on the Indonesian island of Bali, France-headquartered Interpol announced.

He is the first Chinese official to hold the post, China's official Xinhua news agency said, and takes over from Frenchwoman Mireille Ballestrazzi.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang congratulated Meng on his appointment, noting China enjoyed "close communication and cooperation with Interpol and its member states.

"We attach high importance to the role played by Interpol, and would like to shoulder more responsibility and contribute more in the field of law enforcement and security."

After taking power in 2012, Xi launched a massive anti-corruption drive that has led to the punishment of over a million officials, although it has raised questions about whether the president is a reformer or is carrying out a ruthless political purge.

Interpol is an intergovernmental organisation that acts as a network connecting the law enforcement agencies of its 190 member countries. It does not have agents of its own with powers of arrest.