The Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Namibia pays great attention to the recent news on a case involving a Chinese national suspected of smuggling rhino horns from Namibia.

The Chinese government holds a long-standing and clear-cut position on the protection of endangered wild species like rhinos and elephants. As a contracting party of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), China is making unremitting efforts to protect wildlife by enhancing domestic legislation, institution building, trade management, law enforcement, capacity building and public involvement. China persists in cracking down on illegal trade of endangered species and their products, and takes the attitude of "zero tolerance" towards those crimes by bringing any offenders to justice.

It is the shared responsibility of countries around the world to protect endangered wild species and crack down on poaching as well as related illegal trafficking. The Chinese Government supports the Namibian Government in protecting its unique environment and wildlife resources, and fighting against poaching and illegal trafficking across its borders. The Embassy strongly condemns those crimes and supports law enforcement activities carried out by Namibian authorities. We hope law enforcement officers could protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals and institutions. The Embassy will, as it always does, require Chinese nationals in Namibia to strictly comply with local laws and regulations and fulfill their social responsibilities. The Embassy reminds all Chinese nationals in Namibia that if any clue related to those kinds of crimes happened to be heard by you,please report it immediately to police.