- Title: CHINA-IVORY China destroys seized ivory in illegal trade crackdown
- Date: 29th May 2015
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (MAY 29, 2015) (REUTERS) OFFICIALS STANDING ON STAGE AT IVORY DESTRUCTION EVENT/ IVORY TO BE DESTROYED IVORY IN BOXES VARIOUS OF IVORY CARVINGS MEDIA FILMING THE HEAD OF THE STATE ADMINISTRATION OF FORESTRY OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, ZHAO SHUCONG, GIVING SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) HEAD OF THE STATE ADMINISTRATION OF FORESTRY OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, ZHAO SHUCONG, SAYING: "Today, the State Administration of Forestry and the General Administration of Customs are jointly holding this event to destroy confiscated ivory in China. Since 2014, authorities confiscated and closed the case for 660 kilograms of ivory, which will be destroyed." VARIOUS OF WORKERS PUTTING IVORY OBJECTS ON CONVEYER BELT VARIOUS OF IVORY ON CONVEYER BELT VARIOUS OF WORKERS SCRAPING GROUND UP IVORY HEAD OF THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF CUSTOMS IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, CHANG YUGUANG, GIVING SPEECH (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION OF CUSTOMS IN THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, CHANG YUGUANG, SAYING: "China's General Administration of Customs will resolutely implement the central government's policy decision, and will use this destruction event as a new starting point to continue to deal a powerful blow to the illegal trade of ivory and other wild animals and plants." VARIOUS OF IVORY BEING CUT IN HALF VARIOUS OF WORKERS GATHERING UP BROKEN IVORY WORKERS PUTTING IVORY ON CONVEYER BELT
- Embargoed: 13th June 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: China
- City:
- Country: China
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA7MI0EUCIZYDD3K9FZ17BC32QU
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: China destroyed 660 kilogrammes of seized ivory in Beijing on Friday (May 29) as authorities take a tougher stance on its illegal trade.
Conservation body World Wildlife Fund ranks the country as the world's biggest end-market for poached ivory.
During the event, various ornate carvings were sawn to pieces and ground up in mulchers.
"Today, the State Administration of Forestry and the General Administration of Customs are jointly holding this event to destroy confiscated ivory in China. Since 2014, authorities confiscated and closed the case for 660 kilograms of ivory, which will be destroyed," said State Administration of Forestry head Zhao Shucong.
"China's General Administration of Customs will resolutely implement the central government's policy decision, and will use this destruction event as a new starting point to continue to deal a powerful blow to the illegal trade of ivory and other wild animals and plants," the head of the customs department, Chang Yugang, said.
Poaching has risen in recent years across sub-Saharan Africa, where well-armed criminal gangs have killed elephants for tusks and rhinos for horns that are often shipped to Asia for use in ornaments and medicines.
Beijing's top officials have even been implicated in the trade. A report by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) published in November 2014 alleged that Chinese officials bought large amounts of illegal ivory during a visit by President Xi Jinping to Tanzania in 2013 and smuggled it out in diplomatic bags aboard his plane.
China had called the report "baseless".
In the face of mounting international criticism, Beijing announced a one-year ban on the import of African ivory carvings in February ahead of a visit by Britain's Prince William, a strong critic of the ivory trade. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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