On September 24th, Minister Ma Hui attended the Discussion on Ivory Trade hosted by “Space for Giants” and The Arts Club and delivered a speech. Dr. Max Graham, founder and CEO of Space for Giants, Lord Clement-Jones, Deputy Chairman of The All Party Parliamentary China Group, and more than 60 representatives from various sectors of the UK, such as the "Ivory Trade" organization and the International Animal Care Foundation, were present.

In his speech, Minister Ma briefed the participants on the policies, measures and progress of China's wildlife protection, saying that the Chinese government has viewed environmental protection, especially wildlife protection, from a strategic height and incorporated it in the overall planning of national development. To shoulder its international responsibility as a big country, China is committed to protecting elephants and cracking down on the illegal trade of ivory. It has adopted strict control. From the end of 2017, all domestic commercial processing and sale of ivory and ivory products are banned in China. It has taken effective enforcement to combat crimes of poaching or trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products including ivory. It has taken an active part in international cooperation, having participated in and implemented a number of international initiatives and actions to combat the illegal trade in ivory and other wildlife products and help Asian and African countries enhance the capability of wildlife protection.

Minister Ma said that all relevant countries across the world should work together to win the global war on ivory trade: first, a comprehensive solution should be taken to improve the legal system and step up law enforcement and supervision in order to break all links on the chain of illegal trade. Second, various measures should be taken to address both the symptoms and root causes, to raise public awareness, especially among the young generation, and to help relevant countries to improve their law enforcement and capacity building related to wildlife protection. Third, actions must be coordinated and the role of the United Nations and other international organizations, governments and related institutions must be given full play to build a “sturdy Great Wall” against illegal trade in ivory. China will continue to play a leading role and work together with other countries, including the UK, to crack down on the illegal trade of wildlife and wildlife products including ivory and build the Planet Earth into a more beautiful and harmonious home.

The participants spoke highly of China's achievements in protecting elephants and other wildlife, hailing that China's comprehensive ban on the sale of ivory and its products is of great significance to combating illegal ivory trade. They expressed their hope to strengthen cooperation with China to enhance global wildlife protection.