For a long time, notable entities the world over—Interpol, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Clinton Global Initiative, the European Union and the Duke of Cambridge, among others—had tried to tackle elephant poaching. And African governments have increasingly been cracking down on poachers and traffickers. But these were not enough to halt this crisis. It is China that has always held the key to unlocking—or should we say, locking up—this despicable crisis.

China is, after all, the world's largest ivory bazaar, with approximately 70% of the product ending up in the country. By setting a specific end date for its ivory trade, Beijing has sent a strong signal that ivory’s rightful place is on an elephant and not as a decorative item in someone’s home.

At 2015 FOCAC Summit, the governments of China and the African states committed to conserve Africa’s wildlife – reflected in the 2016-2018 Action Plan proposed by 6th Ministerial Conference in Johannesburg and their recognition of the need to tackle both local poaching and international organized crime, highlighting specific actions to be taken around poaching and trafficking of ivory and rhino horn. China has significantly shifted its approach to Africa investment, moving from one-off construction projects to a longer-term strategy for engaging Africa through industrialization, modernization, health and security. President Xi Jinping emphasized in many of his speeches regarding China-Africa cooperation the importance of mutual cooperation, trust, and prosperity.

The African Wildlife Foundation has been working with African ambassadors in Beijing for more than two years to make this an important part of China-Africa diplomacy. There is need for a paradigm shift in how Africa perceives, manages and benefits from her natural resource assets and how China views its long term sustainable relationship with Africa.

From: traveller24.com