China lost 121 tons of ivory to smugglers between 1991-2002
The 121 tons is the equivalent of the tusks from 11,000 elephants.
Source: “Round the horn,” The Economist, July 19, 2008, pg. 68.
90 percent of fake pesticides in Europe came from China
Source: Andrew Bounds and Roman Olearchyk, “Alarm at flood of bogus pesticides,” Financial Times Deutshland, July 1, 2008.
Human smuggling market in China
According to author Moises Naim, ” human smuggling out of China alone has been estimated between $1 and $3 billion per year”.
Source: Moises Naim, Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats are hijacking the global economy, (New York: Doubleday, 2005), pg. 88.
$17 Billion spent on illegal drugs in China each year
A 1998 study stated that $17 billion is spent on illicit drugs in China every year.
Source: International Crime Threat Assessment, “Chapter III: Worldwide areas of International Criminal Activity, China,” December 2000, available from Federation of America Scientists, (accessed: March 9, 2007).
Global companies lose $60 Billion to counterfeits from China
Source: Bloomberg, ” U.S., EU Pledge to Fight Counterfeit Goods From China, Russia,” Bloomberg.com, June 19, 2006.
Poacher in Taiwan can sell a bear for $4,500
Source: AFP, “Wildlife smuggling in Asia still a roaring trade,” Yahoo News, June 3, 2007.
At least 12,000 bears are kept on bile farms in China
Cathryn Atkinson, “Bear Detecttion Kits tested against smuggling,” The Globe and Mail, July 6, 2007.
$2.2 billion lost in business to piracy in China in 2006
The US content industry (movie, music, software and book industries) has estimated that its companies had lost $2.2 billion in potential business in China due to piracy in 2006.
81 percent of fake goods seized in US produced in China
In the United States, 81 percent of counterfeit goods seized by the Custom Department in Fiscal Year 2006 was produced in China.
Source: Associated Press, ” Counterfeit consumer goods could present health and safety risks,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 12, 2007.
80 percent of all articles seized by European Union custom agents in 2006 originated from China
Source: European Union, “2006 customs seizures of counterfeit goods - Frequently Asked Questions,” Press Release, May 31, 2007, (accessed: June 18, 2007).
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