China has responded to calls from Africa to take a zero-tolerance approach on illegal elephant poaching.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman says the country is working to curb the illegal ivory trade on multiple fronts, and China is one of the "top countries" in the world fighting against the trade.

"We have issued a series of laws and regulations, and established multiple law enforcement departments composed of forces from the police, customs, industrial and commercial administration. We also actively participate in international law enforcement and cooperation to crack down on smuggling of and illegal operations with ivory as well as its products, which effectively curbs ivory smuggling. To be fair, the intensity of China's efforts makes China one of the top countries in the world fighting ivory smuggling. In the future, we will continue to intensify law enforcement, and actively participate in international cooperation," said Hua Chunying, Spokeswoman of Chinese Foreign Ministry.