The press center of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China holds a news conference on the united front work and the external work of the CPC, in Beijing, Oct 21, 2017. Executive Vice-Minister Zhang Yijiong (second from left) and Vice-Minister Ran Wanxiang (right) of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, and Guo Yezhou (second from right), vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the conference. [Photo/Xinhua] Both Beijing and Pyongyang are aware of the importance of protecting their good relations, a senior official of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee said on Saturday. China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are neighbors. Both sides know that maintaining, developing and consolidating the friendly and cooperative China-DPRK relations is not only in the best interests of both sides but also bears great significance in regional peace and stability, said Guo Yezhou, vice-minister of the department. He made the remarks at a news conference held on the sidelines of the ongoing 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Guo said the communication between the two ruling parties plays an important role in enhancing bilateral relations of the two countries. Our Party and the Workers' Party of Korea have the tradition of friendly exchanges, he said. As for when and at what level will the two sides carry out personnel exchanges depends on the needs and convenience of both sides. the wristband factorycustom wristbands ukyouth wristbands24hr wristbandlivestrong bracelet
Customs staff check seized pangolin scales in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Nov 29, 2017. [Photo/Chinanews.com] Customs officials in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, announced on Wednesday that they had intercepted 11.9 metric tons of pangolin scales smuggled from Africa, the largest volume of any single case found by border inspectors. The scales were taken from an estimated 20,000 pangolins, a species listed last year in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, which bans all international trading of pangolins and their products. Two suspects in the case, one surnamed Li from Shandong province and another, He, from Anhui province, were the subjects of arrest warrants, according to Chen Qunfang, deputy chief of Dapeng Customs, which is affiliated with the Shenzhen authorities. The case arose in July when customs officers found bags stuffed with charcoal in a container that had been declared as empty at Yantian port. The charcoal was used to cover 239 bags of pangolin scales. Lacking full information from the shipping parties on the bill of lading, customs officers spent a lot of time identifying the suspects, Chen said. Li and He were found to have made frequent money transfers totaling more than 5 million yuan ($758,000) around the time the case came to light. During an interrogation, He admitted that he helped smuggle the pangolin scales at the request of Li, officers said. Demand exists in China for pangolin scales as a food or as a traditional Chinese medicine ingredient, Chen said. Bozhou, Anhui province - He's native province - is home to one of the country's largest herbal medicine markets. The low cost of procuring pangolin scales overseas, especially from Africa, has made the illegal trade highly profitable, Chen said. The scales will be destroyed after the trial concludes. [email protected]
