Chinese ambassador replies to letters from US students on wildlife

What's been called China's game-changer decision to terminate its domestic ivory trade by 2017 — including closing at least a third of its registered traders and processors by the first quarter of the year — has drawn cheers from primary school students in the United States.

Chinese Ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai has replied to about 20 letters from primary school students in California and Massachusetts, who have written to thank China for its latest move to ban its ivory trade, embassy sources said on Wednesday.

Following regulations released on Dec 30 by the State Council, the country is expected to shut down up to 15 ivory processing and 60 sales enterprises by March 31, and the rest by year's end.

In his letter, Cui thanked the US students for their enthusiasm for protecting wildlife. The ambassador said that in China, it is public consensus that wildlife should be protected and illegal trade should be banned.

"In fact, China has been doing a lot more than just protecting elephants," Cui said. "If you have a chance to visit China, you will find a lot of endangered animals well protected in their natural habitats: giant panda (as you all know), snub-nosed monkey, Tibetan antelope, red-crowned crane, Manchurian tiger, to name just a few."

Cui encouraged the young people of both countries to join hands and work together to create a better future for all life on Earth.