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| This file photo taken on May 29, 2015 shows carved ivory being shown to the media before being destroyed in Beijing. ( FRED DUFOUR / AFP) |
BEIJING - China will gradually stop the processing and sales of ivories for commercial purposes by the end of 2017, according to the central government website on Friday.
The move will affect the country's 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues
The decision came after the country imposed a three-year ban on ivory imports in March this year in an escalated fight against illegal trading of wild animals and plants.
The move will affect the country's 34 processing enterprises and 143 designated trading venues, with dozens to be closed by the end of March 2017, according to an official with the State Forestry Administration.
Read more: China iterates pledge to conserve species
Before that deadline, law enforcement agencies will continue to clamp down on illegalities associated with the elephant's tusk, the official said.
