Customs to boost efforts to foil smuggling

China will further improve customs inspections and step up international cooperation on combating the smuggling of endangered species and solid waste as it moves to bear stronger responsibilities in addressing global issues, customs officers said.

Ni Yuefeng, head of the General Administration of Customs of China, said China customs has "zero tolerance" for smuggling endangered species or solid waste and attaches high importance to working with international enforcement departments to fight it.

He made the remarks at the debriefing of Operation Thunderball & Demeter V, a pair of joint international operations that focus on cracking down on the smuggling of endangered species and solid waste.

The debriefing started in Shenzhen on Tuesday and will run through Thursday.

Sun Zhijie, director general of the anti-smuggling bureau of GACC, said China customs has used advanced technologies in past operations, which have significantly enhanced efficiency. For example, instead of manual inspections to detect ivory smuggling, customs has introduced artificial intelligence technology to help the process.