URUMQI, Aug. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- China has greatly improved its enforcement of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since it became a member party in 1981, though it still needs great efforts to control the very active wildlife market, a senior CITES enforcement official has said.

    John M. Sellar, the senior Enforcement officer Legislation and Compliant Unit in Geneva, Switzerland, made the remarks at the "Silk Road CITES Implementation and Enforcement Seminar" held here from Monday to Thursday.

    The seminar, participated in by ten countries bordering China in its south, west and north territories and eight domestic and international non-governmental organizations, is the first CITES implementation and enforcement meeting held in a central Asian country within CITES' 30 years history.

    Participants from Afghanistan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and China discussed issues about communication and cooperation for better conservation of endangered species in the region, such as saiga antelope, snow leopards, falcons, Tibetan antelope and Tigers.

    Commenting on China, Sellar said, "I had never thought that China is becoming so active in communicating with CITES and so open to any problems raised."

    China's CITES management authorities and various levels of forestry, fishery, Customs, boundary defense and police have jointly combated illegal poaching and smuggling, seizing a large number of wild animals or their products such as Tibetan antelope,saker falcon, elephant, tiger and other big cats.

    By now, China has participated almost in all global multilateral environmental agreements. The country has also promulgated the Forestry Law, the Law on Protection of Wild Animal and the Regulations on the Protection of Wild Plants, laying a firm legal foundation for the management and conservation of wild fauna and flora.

    On the other hand, China's CITES enforcement is encountering unprecedented challenges as its domestic wildlife demands boom due to socio-economic developments, Sellar said.

    "Three years ago, I went to Tibet and saw that tiger skins, Tibetan antelope and some other wild animals were being sold in local markets, which are all banned species according to CITES Convention," said Seller, indicating rampant poaching and trafficking was occuring.

    Since China is becoming a major consumer of some wild species, like its neighboring countries, these countries' joint efforts in controlling wildlife smuggling and enforcing related laws of their own will greatly affect the endangered species' fates, said Zhang Li, the chief representative of the International Fund for Animal Welfare China office, one of the NGO participants in the seminar.

    CITES, which now has 169 member countries, has regulated trade in many of the world's most commercially valuable plant and animal species since 1975. It assures the long-term survival of internationally traded wildlife species while supporting sustainable development. Enditem