China says it is committed to wildlife protection

BEIJING: China on Thursday said it was committed to the protection of wildlife, including elephants, a day after a UN panel on endangered species gave it permission to import ivory, a move environmentalists fear could pose a threat to the wild pachyderms in Africa and Asia.

China became the second country after Japan to be a licenced buyer of ivory auctioned by four southern African countries -- South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Environmentalists argue it could give impetus for more poaching of elephants.

"Chinese government attaches great importance to protection of wildlife, including elephants and has initiated a series of laws and regulations and cracked down on illegal smuggling and sales of wildlife products, including ivory," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.

He said smuggling and illegal sales had plummeted remarkably after raids by authorities and many international experts who visited China had made an "objective assessment" of its actions and the results achieved.

The United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species had announced that it would allow African countries to sell elephant ivory in a one-off trade.

Conservation groups however maintain that the decision would allow poachers to get rid of their stocks.