China Shuts Down Its Legal Ivory Trade
From https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/12/wildlife-watch-china-ivory-ban-goes-into-effect/
China is one of the worlds biggest consumers of ivory products. By the end of 2017, it will have imposed a near-complete ban on buying and selling ivory.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CAMERON SPENCER, GETTY IMAGES
China Shuts Down Its Legal Ivory Trade
Two years after a joint pledge with the United States to ban the domestic trade in ivory, all of Chinas government-licensed carving factories and ivory retailers are about to close.
By Rachael Bale
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 30, 2017
As of December 31, Chinas legal, government-sanctioned ivory trade will come to a close. All of the countrys licensed ivory carving factories and retailers will be shuttered in accordance with a landmark 2015 announcement from Chinese President Xi Jinping and then U.S. President Barack Obama.
China and the U.S. both agreed to near-complete ivory bans, which prohibit the buying and selling of all but a limited number of antiques and a few other items. The U.S.s ivory ban went into effect in June 2016. Chinas goes into effect December 31, 2017.
China is widely believed to be the worlds largest consumer of ivory, both legal and illegal, and it plays a major role in the yearly slaughter of some 30,000 African elephants by poachers. Ivory is in demand for intricate carvings, trinkets, chopsticks, and other items.
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