China crushes half tonne of ivory in symbolic gesture

China destroyed more than six hundred kilograms of ivory in front of media and diplomats on Friday, as it seeks to shed its image as a global trading hub for illegal elephant tusks.

Engraved tusks and carved ivory chopsticks were fed into a crushing machine which spewed powder and clouds of dust into the air on the outskirts of Beijing. Surging demand for ivory in Asia is behind an increasing death toll of African elephants, conservationists say, as authorities fail to control international smuggling networks. Experts believe that most illegal ivory is sold in China - where products made from the material are seen as status symbols - with some estimating the country accounts for as much as 70 per cent of global demand.