Opinion | China’s tug of war over tiger and rhino protection: did Trump’s trade war influence Beijing’s original decision?
- Peter J. Li says Sino-US tensions made it easier for China to act on behalf of the country’s wildlife businesses, easing the ban on rhino and tiger products
- However, international outrage might have convinced the authorities that they had conceded too much to the wildlife industry, prompting a rethink
It is hard to know at this point what went into the latest postponement decision. The clash inside China over the use of rhino and tiger parts is no secret to the global conservation and animal protection community. The October 29 circular was the result of years of active lobbying by the country’s wildlife business industry.
The terrestrial wildlife farming part of the industry amounted to 55 billion yuan (US$7.92 billion) in 2016, a tiny part of China’s US$11.19 trillion gross domestic product. However, wildlife farming has an impressive presence in the country’s less developed regions where poverty reduction remains a strategic objective for local governments.
China has scores of facilities that breed tigers. Two major tiger farms that house more than 3,000 animals have managed to stay open despite the 1993 ban. Both farms breed some 200 cubs a year with the expectation that the ban will eventually be lifted. As a result of poor conditions on the farms, many tigers die and their carcasses are often frozen for future use. Both farms are engaged in making “tiger wine” using parts from dead tigers.