bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Tanzanian officials dismissed allegations by environmental activists that Chinese diplomatic and military staff went on buying sprees for illegal ivory while on official visits to East Africa.
The country's foreign minister said the report by the Britain-based Environmental Investigation Agency was a "fabrication" designed to upset growing ties between Tanzania and China.
"We should ask ourselves as to why these allegations are surfacing a few days before [Tanzanian] President Jakaya Kikwete's visit to China," Foreign Minister Bernard Membe told parliament on Friday.
"These are mere fabrications. It is obvious that perpetrators of these allegations are people who do not wish to see our country attain development. The false reports were made out of jealousy" over Tanzania's relationship with China, he said.
The minister said the two countries had been sharing intelligence reports which had enabled numerous interceptions of ivory destined for China from Tanzania.
Tanzania's tourism minister, Lazaro Nyalandu, said: "China is doing a lot to help us solve this wildlife-threatening crime.
"It is easy to see how cooked up the report is, because saying that the Chinese president's plane was used to carry tusks is illogical. Such craft are usually heavily guarded and surrounded by hundreds of people, leaving no room for any foul play."
According to the EIA, when President Xi Jinping visited Tanzania in March last year, members of his government and business delegation bought so much ivory that local prices doubled to US$700 per kilo.
It quoted ivory traders who said the buyers took advantage of a lack of security checks for diplomatic visitors to smuggle their purchases to China on Xi's plane.


Tanzania denies report of ivory binge by Chinese officials amid Xi Jinping visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete during the latter's visit to Beijing in October.

News

China

Tanzanian officials dismissed allegations by environmental activists that Chinese diplomatic and military staff went on buying sprees for illegal ivory while on official visits to East Africa.
