China Hasn't Yet Lifted the Ban on Ivory Trade

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 07, 2003

China Hasn't Yet Lifted the Ban on Ivory Trade

The Endangered Species Import and Export Management Office P.R.C. issued a statement lately, reaffirming that in view of China is yet to satisfy the conditions for ivory import and export listed in CITES, China will continue to strictly prohibit international trade in ivory and related products.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Pinpointing imaginary reports that China has lifted the ban on international trade in ivory and related products, the Endangered Species Import and Export Management Office P.R.C. under the State Forestry Administration issued a statement lately, reaffirming that in view of China is yet to satisfy the conditions for ivory import and export listed in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), China will continue to strictly prohibit international trade in ivory and related products.

According to Chen Jianwei, permanent deputy-director with the aforesaid office, China, in an effort to implement CITES, has stopped the direct ivory import from Africa early as on June 1, 1990, and later in 1991 invited a complete prohibition of international trade in ivory or products made of ivory. Since then, China has never approved any commercial activities of ivory import. In the past five years, other countries and China have jointly tracked down, seized about 300 cases of ivory smuggled to China, and confiscated around 30 tons of ivory or ivory handcrafts. However, some irresponsible media distorted the fact, reporting that China nodded international trade in ivory and related handcrafts, which drew high attention at home and abroad and made a worst impression

Mr. Chen Jianwei reiterated that China's attitude towards ivory international trade hasn't in the least changed. Any case regarding illegal purchase, transport, sale or trafficking of a piece of ivory or 6kg of ivory handcrafts would be dealt with as a deadly serious case to be sentenced to over 10 years or a life-long imprisonment or even a death penalty. The 12th Conference of the Parties to CITES (COP 12) in Chile November 3-15, 2002 resolved that Botswana, Namibia and South Africa were conditionally permitted to conduct ivory international trade within a certain quota. Nevertheless, ivory (or ivories) over the quota or of other countries were strictly forbidden from being traded in the international market.

Mr. Chen Jianwei added that China is duty-bound to fulfill the convention. The mass public should consciously abide by the convention and related laws & regulations of the country, neither to illegally carry, check and post ivory (or ivories) out of (or into) China nor to purchase them.

By PD Online Staff Zhu Lizhen

Questions?Comments? Click here

Huge Shipment of Smuggled Ivory Intercepted in China

China Lodges Formal Representation to Japan About Diaoyu Islands ( 2 Messages)

Russia Warns US Against Improper Approach to DPRK's Nuclear Issue ( 74 Messages)

China's Unmanned Spaceship Lands ( 2 Messages)

China's Space Program on Course: Official ( 4 Messages)

US to Take Part in Taiwanese Military Drills: Report ( 2 Messages)