China launches new ivory smuggling crackdown

China's General Administration of Customs (GAC) has launched a new campaign to crack down on smuggling of ivory and endangered species in the country, it announced on Monday.

The campaign will last six months until the end of this year, a GAC spokesman said.

Overseas customs authorities will offer legal assistance for the campaign, according to the administration.

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.