Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe
6 August 2015
During President R.G Mugabe's StateVisit to China in August 2014, the Chinese President Xi Jinping committed to donate wildlife protection equipment to the Zimbabwean side as a sign of good wish.
Today the Chinese Ambassador H.E. Lin Lin and the Zimbabwean Minister of Environment, Water and Climate Hon. Oppah Muchinguri exchanged letters in which they agreed on the arrangements for the handover of the equipment for wildlife protection.The equipment, which includes SUVs, lorries, pickup trucks, tents, mobile radios, telescopes, GPS, etc., will be put into service at Hwange National Park and Mana Pools National Park. The Chinese side will ship the goods to Harare and also provide related guidance and training. The overall cost of this donation amountsto RMB14 million( US$ 2.3 million).
The donation symbolizes the good will and resoluteaction of China to support wildlife protection causes in Zimbabwe. China and Zimbabwe enjoy profound and traditional friendship which dates back to the liberation struggles of Zimbabwe. Since this friendship was officiated 35 years ago,the two nations have carried out very close co-operations in all fields, of whichtoday's donation is just one good example.
The donation also symbolizes the great importance China has attached to wildlife protection. The Chinese government is very strict when it comes to wildlife conservation and has put up policies and laws to govern the issue. The Law on Wildlife Protection in China is being exercised in rigorous terms. The Chinese government is one of the toughest in combating ivory smuggling, for example. Under Chinese laws, smuggling ivory can lead to life imprisonment. In recent years, China Customs has rooted out hundreds of criminal gangs which are involved in smuggling endangered species.
The Chinese government is also ready to work with the international community to make continued and unremitting efforts to protectwildlife.On May 10 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced that China willprovide $10 million to support wildlife protection and conservation inAfrica. The State Forestry Administration of China, China Customs and International Fund for Animal Welfare have worked together to place Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) posters at hundreds of ports of entry and exit throughout China.