China ranked as the top market for rhino horns over the past decade, but the country has taken steps to crack down on smugglers, according to a report from the Wildlife Justice Commission , a non-profit foundation based in The Hague.
In 2018, China reversed a 25-year ban on the trade and use of rhino horns to allow for scientific and medical use. While doctors certified by authorities can prescribe rhino horns for medical purposes, illegally obtained carvings and other collectibles are subject to confiscation. It added that China's strategy involved investigating entire criminal networks, including citizens who commit wildlife crimes abroad, and bringing them to justice through international co-operation.
"In Nigeria, [the Democratic Republic of the Congo], South Africa, Mozambique, Angola and Namibia, the WJC is finding that Vietnamese criminal networks are filling the void left by the removal of Chinese networks," it said, adding that South Africa is the only country where Chinese networks still dominate the trade.
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