The United States on Monday commended China for destroying more than five tons of illegal ivory, saying the move "demonstrates a strong commitment to ending wildlife trafficking." "China's action, building on similar events held in the United States, Kenya, Gabon, and the Philippines, will send a powerful message to wildlife poachers and traffickers and to the consumers of illegal wildlife products," the State Department said in a statement. "The United States remains deeply committed to working ... to strengthen the global commitment to combat wildlife trafficking," the department wrote. In China's southern Guangdong province, authorities destroyed nearly six tons of ivory in an unprecedented move that wildlife groups say shows growing concern about the black-market trade by authorities in the world's biggest market for elephant tusks.
