China bans ivory imports for a year ahead of Prince William's visit

The mainland is banning the import of ivory products for one year amid criticism that its citizens' huge appetite for the material is threatening the existence of African elephants.

The announcement came ahead of next week’s visit by Britain’s Prince William, a strong critic of the ivory trade.

The State Forestry Administration declared the ban in a public notice issued yesterday, in which it said the administration would not handle any import requests. The ban takes effect immediately.

In an explanatory news report, an unnamed forestry official told the that the authorities hoped the ban would be a concrete step to cut the demand for African tusks and to help protect wild elephants.

The official said the temporary ban would allow the authorities to evaluate its effect on elephant protection before taking further, more effective steps.

A report by Save the Elephants and the Aspinall Foundation released last year said the number of ivory goods on sale in Beijing and Shanghai had gone up to 8,444 last year, compared with 5,241 in 2002.