China's customs authority has strengthened its crackdown on waste smuggling and the trafficking of endangered animals during its Blue Sky 2019 campaign this year, which has been highly praised by the international community.

Officials of Qingdao customs inspect smuggled goods on Sept. 14, 2018. (Photo from People’s Daily Online)

China's customs authority has also taken measures to strengthen port regulations, such as using high-tech means to step up inspection of high-risk goods from key countries, and conducting a thorough inspection of suspicious containers.

These measures have effectively curtailed the smuggling of endangered species and foreign garbage.

Sun Zhijie, director of the anti-smuggling bureau of the General Administration of Customs, pointed out that the Chinese government has always believed that all countries must share the responsibility of combating the smuggling of solid waste and endangered species and their products. To this end, Chinese customs attach great importance to international ecological and environmental law enforcement.

China's environmental contributions have been well recognized. On Nov. 13, the Asian Environmental Law Enforcement Award ceremony organized by the United Nations Environment Program was held in Bangkok, and China won two awards.

Customs is the first line of defense against cross-border smuggling of endangered species and their products, and Chinese customs have done a particularly good job, said Ivonne Higuero, Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

From January to October this year, a total of 444 cases of smuggling of endangered species and their products were investigated, including 157 cases of smuggling ivory products, in which 9.2 tons of ivory products were seized.