China Cracks Down on Importation of Endangered Species

The Institute for Security Studies published on 19 August 2019 a commentary titled "China Is Proving Key To Reducing Africa's Wildlife Trafficking" by Duncan E. Omondi Gumba and Richard Chelin.

China's crackdown on the importation of ivory and processing of rhino horns has reduced the illegal trafficking from Africa. The problem has also moved increasingly from East and Southern Africa to West Africa.

China, Africa, and the Pangolin Trade

The Washington Post published on 21 July 2018 an article titled "China's Push to Export Traditional Medicine May Doom the Magical Pangolin" by Simon Denyer.

The pangolin is the world's most trafficked mammal. A million of them are thought to have been poached from the wild in Asia and Africa in just a decade. Trade in the eight species of pangolin is illegal. Demand for them comes primarily from China and Vietnam, where the scales of the pangolin are used in traditional medicine. As a result, the pangolin is fast disappearing from the jungles of Asia and, increasingly, from Africa.

TRAFFIC published in December 2017 a study of pangolin trafficking titled "The Global Trafficking of Pangolins: A Comprehensive Summary of Seizures and Trafficking Routes from 2010-2015."

The report noted that large quantity pangolin shipments come from Cameroon, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Guinea and Kenya. The primary African countries through which pangolins are trafficked are Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, Equatoriak Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, and Togo.

North Korean Activities in Africa

The Swiss-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime published in September 2017 a report titled "Diplomats and Deceit: North Korea's Criminal Activities in Africa."

The report presents an overview of evidence implicating North Korea in criminal activity ranging from smuggling and drug trafficking to the manufacturing of counterfeit money and black market cigarettes.

Chinese Engagement in the East and Southern African Timber Trade

Traffic published in February 2017 a major report titled "Overview of the Timber Trade in East and Southern Africa: National Perspectives and Regional Trade Linkages" by Kahana Lukumbuzya and Cassian Sianga.

The report covers numerous issues concerning the timber trade in east and southern Africa. China is the single most important importer of timber coming from this region. The report offers useful insights on China's role in this trade and the challenges faced by African exporting countries, especially the DRC, Zambia, Mozambique and Tanzania.

North Korea-Africa Cooperation

The Institute for Security Studies published on 30 November 2016 a major study titled "Cooperation between African States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" by Annie DuPre, Nicolas Kasprzyk, and Noel Stott.

Most African states have refrained from explicitly condemning North Korea's nuclear weapon and delivery system-related activities as a threat to international peace and security. The authors suggest this may be the result of the legacy of North Korea's military support of African liberation movements and the contemporary political and economic relations that many African states still have with Pyongyang. North Korea has built arms factories in the DRC, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Uganda. Namibia has contracted with North Korea to build military sites and ballistic missile manufacturing lines have been sold to Egypt and Libya.

On 30 November 2016, the UN Security Council in a unanimous vote of 15 members put new sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The three non-permanent African members--Angola, Egypt, and Senegal--voted in favor of additional sanctions.

Decimation of African Rhinos and the Illegal Asian Trade

The October 2016 issue of National Geographic published an article titled "Deadly Trade" by Bryan Christy and Brent Stirton.

The article documents the decimation of the African rhino population in order to export illegally rhino horn primarily to China and Vietnam where it is a popular but ineffective medicine and hangover cure. Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan are no longer significant consumers of rhino horn. About 98 percent of Africa's black and white rhinos are found in South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe.

Tourism, Illegal Wildlife Trade, Africa, and China

Traffic published on 3 March 2016 an article titled "Tourism Industry in China Says 'No' to Illegal Wildlife Trade." The article comments on the steady increase in Chinese tourism to Africa and the illegal wildlife trade, especially elephant ivory and rhino horn. The Chinese tourist industry has spoken out against the illegal trade, which continues to be a serious problem involving Chinese nationals.

Shifting Security Challenges in the China-Africa Relationship

The South African Institute of International Affairs published in September 2015 an analysis titled "Shifting Security Challenges in the China-Africa Relationship" by Ross Anthony, Harriet Esterhuyse, and Meryl Burgess, all with the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University.

As China's interests in Africa increase and its physical presence there grows, China faces additional security challenges from terrorist attacks to international crime. 

Illegal Wildlife Trade in Africa

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has just published a highly technical analysis titled "Illegal Killing for Ivory Drives Global Decline in African Elephants" by George Wittemyer and a number of other authors.  Based on a study of illegal wildlife trade in Samburu, Kenya, the study concludes that the problem increased markedly after 2008 and was correlated strongly with the local black market ivory price and increased seizures of ivory destined for China. 

Foreign Policy magazine summarized the study in an article dated 20 August 2014 titled "These Two Charts Show How China is Helping Decimate Africa's Elephants" by Elias Groll. 

Rhino Poaching and East Asian Policies

Meryl Burgess, research analyst at the Centre for Chinese Studies at Stellenbosch University, published in December 2012 a nice briefing on rhino poaching and East Asian policies.  She noted that 2011-2012 witnessed the highest levels of poaching and illegal trade in rhino horn in many years bringing some rhino species to near extinction in Africa and Asia.  The rhino poaching crisis is especially harmful to China's image.