China debunks disinformation on request for 100,000 Toque monkeys

• Did Agriculture Ministry lie? 

By Kelum Bandara   

The Chinese Embassy in Colombo yesterday laid to rest what it called ‘disinformation’ on local and foreign media about Sri Lanka getting ready to export “100 thousand” toque macaque monkeys to a Chinese private company for “experimental purpose.”  

 Issuing a press release, the Embassy said the Chinese National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the main government department supervising and managing the import and export of wild animals and plants, clearly clarified that it is not aware of the request and has not received any such application from any side. 

 
“The Embassy would like to further stress that as a contracting party of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), China has already adopted its Wildlife Protection Law in 1988 with several subsequent amendments. 

The Chinese government always attaches great importance to wildlife protection and actively fulfill international obligations, which makes China one of top countries in the world in terms of wildlife protection legislation and law enforcement,” the statement said.   

Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera earlier said he received a request from a private entity in China to import around 100,000 Toque monkeys from Sri Lanka. 
He said he would appoint a committee to study the request to explore its feasibility. However, Chinese authorities have now denied any such request by any party there.