BEIJING — Chinese customs probed 923 criminal cases of smuggling endangered wildlife from January 2019 to September 2021, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on Oct 9.

The probes involved 1,552.7 metric tons of endangered wildlife and its products, said the GAC.

As one of the most biodiverse countries and one of the first nations to sign and approve the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, China has always attached great importance to conserving biodiversity.

Chinese customs have initiated or participated in many international or regional joint actions, improving long-term cooperation mechanisms to combat the smuggling of endangered wildlife and its products.

China issued its first white paper on biodiversity conservation on Oct 8, days ahead of a key United Nations biodiversity meeting to be held in the southwestern city of Kunming.