Extracts from Speech by the Chinese Ambassador Dr. Lu Youqing On the Regional Summit to Stop Wildlife Crime and Advance Wildlife Conservation held in Arusha Tanzania.

"As a member country of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Chinese government has always attached great importance to the protection of wildlife, promulgated a series of laws and regulations, and set up a National Inter-Agency CITES Enforcement Collaboration Group (NICECG) mechanism. Chinese State Forestry Administration has set up a special armed anti-poaching team."

"China leads the world on severe punishment in cases of wild animal protection violation including ivory smuggling and its products. It has also actively participated in international law enforcement cooperation to crack down criminal activities on smuggling and trade of ivory and its products. In February 2013, the Chinese government carried out successfully Operation COBRA, a cross-continent joint special operation to combat illegal wildlife trade together with 22 countries in Asia and Africa."

"The Chinese Embassy in Tanzania holds a tough attitudes to wildlife crime and requested all the Chinese citizens in Tanzania abide by Tanzania law and never involve in any wildlife crime."

"Wildlife conservation and bio-diversity protection is to safeguard our common home and is a shared task of all countries. In the fight of anti-poaching and illegal wildlife trade, Chinese government is always together with Tanzania and all countries in the world."

So, if all this is true WHY DON'T THEY BAN THE SALE OF IVORY IN CHINA  instead of turning a blind eye to the illegal Ivory imports - stolen from African countries who they claim to be friends with?

China could put a stop to the poaching, the loss of life and the decimation of the World's Treasures by a single act of  Leadership.