Bejing, China, August 18, 2006--A spokesman for China's forestry authority said at a press conference that his country is not plundering rainforests for timber, and in fact supports efforts to halt trafficking in illegally harvested woods, according to the state-run China Daily.
Speaking for the State Forestry Administration (SFA), Cao Qingyao denied Chinese involvement in illegal logging: "The statement concerning the question that China's large demand for timber assists illegal logging and smuggling from Asia is groundless.
"China consistently upholds and puts into practice collective international responsibility, opposing and cracking down on illegal logging and illegal wood imports," Cao said. "We have very strict import controls."
Cao reportedly said that some wood products, such as paper and pulp, huge logs and timber, are in demand, but overall China's timber imports would not exceed its exports in the forseeable future.
Last year China had its first ever trade surplus in timber-- US$3.064 billion. China's top timber trade partners are Russia, the United States, Indonesia, Canada and Japan.
China's timber supply was 325.9 million cubic metres in 2005, fractionally higher than demand of 325.7 million cubic metres, according to China's SFA.
Cao's statement is in part a response to accusations by several environmental groups, including the Environmental Investigation Agency and Global Witness, that China is world's foremost consumer of illegally harvested timber, importing wood from Burma, New Guinea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Gabon, Myanmar and the Republic of Congo.
