China launches crackdown on ivory smuggling

China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) Monday launched a new campaign to crack down on ivory smuggling.

The campaign will last six months until the end of this year, Xinhua quoted a GAC spokesman as saying.

According to the administration, overseas customs authorities will offer legal assistance for the campaign.

China has stepped up action against ivory smuggling in recent years, confiscating about 21 tonnes of smuggled tusks and ivory products and capturing 377 criminal suspects in 1,309 cases since April 2012.