CONSERVATION: Wildlife Smugglers Nabbed And Sentenced

The smugglers wrapped the 316 radiated tortoises in tinfoil to avoid x-ray detection, flew them from Madagascar to China last February, and turned them over to an airport employee who snuck them to an apartment.

The goal of the scheme: to breed the creatures, sell the offspring, and rake in big bucks from the sales.

But things didn’t work out that way.

Police soon busted the employee, who worked for Guangzhou Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou, a city in southeast China. They later arrested other members of the gang, including buyers from Beijing and Guangxi, a region in southern China that borders Vietnam.

Now a court has sentenced the leader of the operation to 11 years in prison, announced the NGO Wildlife Conservation Society, which provided guidance during the prosecution.

The airport worker cooperated with investigators and received a five-year punishment, and sentences for the other five defendants ranged from 21 months to seven years.

The gang began smuggling tortoises as early as 2014, investigators rescued an additional 130 tortoises.

Radiated tortoises, found in the forests of Madagascar, get their name from the intricate yellow star patterns that adorn their upper shells, or carapaces.

They're critically endangered, though it's unclear exactly how many remain in the wild.

Habitat loss has wiped out many of these beauties, and the ones that hang on contend with poaching for their meat and the pet trade.

Trade in radiated tortoises or their parts is banned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a treaty signed by 182 countries that regulates wildlife transactions across borders.

Through the arrest and sentencing of these smugglers, many radiated tortoises were saved—both directly through the confiscation of the animals, and by the message sent by the sentencing, said Aili Kang, director of the Asia program of the Wildlife Conservation Society, in a press release.

Here are other wildlife crime busts, convictions, and investigations around the world:

RHINO RENEGADES: Members of South Africa’s Hawks investigative unit busted three men accused of possessing nearly 120 rhino horns. The men allegedly intended to sell five of the horns to an undercover agent.

The men were released on bail, and the case was postponed until October 12. Poachers hunt rhinos to sell their horns to Vietnam and China, where they’re used in traditional medicine and viewed as a status symbol.

TIGER TRADING: A judge sentenced a tiger skin trader and two men who killed a tiger in the Amravati District in Maharashtra, a state in central India, to three years in prison each.

The poachers sold the tiger’s skin and bones, which are used in tiger wine, a potion claimed treat rheumatism and impotence.

SEAHORSE SEIZURE: French customs officers confiscated about 2,000 dead seahorses.

They were found in parcels from Guinea that were destined for Vietnam, where people sell them as souvenirs and for use in traditional medicine. An estimated 24 million seahorses are plucked from the wild and traded illegally each year.

SNAKES IN A SUITCASE: Police arrested a German man at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport after customs officials found dozens of snakes, lizards, and other reptiles hidden in his suitcase.

Forty of the reptiles didn’t survive, and the others were taken to a reptile shelter. The man was on his way from South Africa to Germany to sell the animals at a reptile fair, according to the report.

WILDLIFE AT SEA: Law enforcement officers discovered 17 protected animals inside boxes on a cargo ship at the port of Soekarno-Hatta, in Makassar, a city in eastern Indonesia.

The police found three black eagles, two wild cats, two weasels, two otters, and six owls hidden on the ship.

They arrested two people suspected of picking up the wildlife from the port.


Tourism Observer

CHINA: Minsk-Guangzhou Flights To Begin, Guangzhou is building 1,000 Kilometer-long Mountain Climbing Trails

There are plans to launch a direct flight between Minsk and Guangzhou (China), Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said on 4 May during the meeting with representatives of Chinese central and regional mass media partaking in the press tour to Belarus, BelTA has learned.

The head of state pointed out that Belarus is interested in bolstering ties with China's Guangdong Province. The sides have advanced trade and achieved considerable results in tourism and science.

Guangdong Province is also ready to set up light emitting diode companies in the China-Belarus industrial park Great Stone.

Currently we are discussing the launch of direct air service between Minsk and Guangzhou. The prospects are quite promising, Alexander Lukashenko remarked.

Belarus is ready to bolster ties with other Chinese regions. There are no forbidden topics or problems in our relations. You may rest assured that all your initiatives in Belarus will be supported. I invite you to come over and offer ideas.

We will receive and support you with pleasure, the president underlined. Guangzhou is the capital of China's most developed province Guangdong. The city is the political, economic, scientific and technical, educational, cultural and transport center of South China.

Guangzhou's Airport Economic Demonstration Zone is off to a robust start by attracting big investments and more than 100 new projects.

The zone already is becoming a hot spot for investment and development..

Benefiting from the city's status as a major aviation hub, the zone was established to boost and guide the development of high-end manufacturing and modern service industries.

Based on the air transportation business, the zone is intended to become a modern industrial base, a regional logistics center, and a technological innovation venue and cooperation platform.

The Baiyun airport's location, efficiency and multi-level services supported the Philippines' AirAsia's opening of direct flights between Guangzhou and Manila on April 28, the 12th new airline flying into and from the airport this year.

The opening of more international routes showcases the increasingly enhanced functionality of the Baiyun airport.

According to data released by airport officials, Baiyun's passenger throughput in 2016 reached 59.78 million, up 8.2 percent over the previous year, making it one of the world’s top 15 international airports and establishing its position as a gateway to Southeast Asia and Australia.

Meanwhile, many airline companies are flocking to the airport, further accelerating the development of the economic zone. In late March, Baiyun welcomed a new airline company - Guangdong Longhao Aviation Group. It took only nine months from preparation to construction for its first flight.

Longhao is not the only company that thinks highly of the airport's economic zone. Other international and national airline enterprises also are arriving in a steady stream.

Also, China Southern Airlines signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Guangzhou with American Airlines, the largest airline in the world, opening up a new epoch for international cooperation of large airline companies.

In terms of transportation development in the economic zone, progress has been made, according to Sun Xiuqing, director of the zone’s administrative committee.

The northern extension of the airport's second highway is already under construction; the expansion of intercity rail lines like Guangzhou to Qingyuan, Guangzhou to Foshan, and Guangzhou to Dongguan to Shenzhen is accelerating; Metro Line 9 and Huadu-Dongguan highway are under intense construction.

Apart from the construction of infrastructure and facilities, the economic zone has made breakthroughs in attracting investments and projects.

The zone's authorities have signed strategic cooperation and investment agreements with many companies, including YTO, Minsheng E-Commerce, DHL, China Air Cargo Corporation, and Baoneng, with the total investment reaching 26.96 billion yuan. Also, 500 enterprises have registered in the zone, and a batch of giant projects have started construction.

Among the businesses operating in the zone thus far, e-commerce is the most prevalent.

Guangzhou is building 1,000-kilometer-long mountain climbing trails as part of the National Trails System (NTS) in line with international standards.

The trails will make optimal use of the city's natural resources, history and culture to foster an upscale tourist business, and help enhance public awareness of ecological and cultural protection, while also providing sightseeing and recreational activities in beautiful natural environments, an official of Conghua Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting, Press and Publication said.

The first trail open to the public in Guangzhou is located in Liangkou village, Conghua district, with a length of 60 kilometers. Far away from the bustling metropolis, the Conghua trail is divided into four levels of difficulty to meet the needs of various people.

Summit Challenge Route, the most difficult section on the Conghua trail, offers good opportunities to climb the 1,210-meter Tiantang Peak, the highest mountain in Guangzhou, and enjoy the beautiful landscapes of Huangchayuan Mountain.

Hiking Route, a less difficult trek, is the longest route of the trail.

Leisure Travel Route is a more leisurely hike for people to enjoy the natural beauty and countryside scenery, such as a star observation platform, Qianlonggou Waterfall, Xitou village and Apoliu village.

Lake Loop Route, the easiest of the four, allows visitors to walk by the riverside, linking up four reservoirs – Dashuikou, Baishuidai, Xiabazi and Lianxi, as well as streams and waterfalls.

The NTS refers to the network of scenic, historic and recreation trails created by the U.S. National Trails System Act of 1968. The NTS will help Conghua become a leader in the development of Guangzhou’s trails and rural tourism. It will serve as a model on sustainable use of ecological and cultural resources.

Guangzhou’s foreign trade got off to a strong start in the first quarter, with import and export volume growing 31.9 percent over the same period in 2016 to 242.8 billion yuan.

At the same time, the import and export volume of Guangdong province increased by 15.4 percent year-on-year to 1.45 trillion yuan, according to data released by Guangzhou customs office.

On March 6, Guangzhou officially launched a national pilot mode of market procurement trade, which is a convenient, efficient, sharing and online regulatory platform for market procurement trade.

The platform has 172 businesses with over 10,000 products, of which 155 are foreign trade runners. The market procurement export value in Guangzhou through this platform reached 3.25 billion yuan through March 31.

In the first two months, Guangzhou’s cross-border e-commerce business grew by 16.2 percent over a year ago, ranking first among 60 cities engaged in e-commerce business.

Moreover, Guangzhou’s import of automobiles and diamonds showed good development momentum. Over 4,000 cars reached the Nansha port in Q1, 1.5 times as many as in the same period last year, while total diamond imports increased 26.2 percent.

According to an official of the Guangzhou Municipal Commission of Commerce, in order to enhance the development of foreign trade, Guangzhou continues to attract investments through multiple channels.

In the first three months, over 38,000 enterprises worth 300 billion yuan in registered capital were established in Guangzhou, a growth of 54.1 percent over the same period in 2016. Also, about 300 Fortune Global 500 corporations have launched nearly 800 projects in Guangzhou, according to officials.

Sakai Display Products Corp., a subsidiary of the world's largest electronics contractor, Foxconn Technology Group, plans to invest 61 billion yuan to produce 10.5 generation panel, substrate glass and related product lines in Guangzhou. It is by far the biggest foreign investment project in four decades in Guangzhou.

Guangzhou will accelerate the development of new types of business, including financial leasing, automobile imports and the diamond trade, and will further promote the import and export of high-tech and high-value-added products, such as automobiles, ships, aircraft, electronic products and medical equipment to enhance the transformation and upgrading of trade.

Fly With China Southern Airline

About China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines is majority owned by the Chinese government, and is currently ranked as a 4-Star Airline. China Southern Airlines is Asia’s largest airline in aircraft fleet size. The international and domestic hub for China Southern Airlines is Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and it also operates some international routes from Beijing. China Southern Airlines is a member of SkyTeam Alliance, and the only operator of the Airbus A380 in China.

China Southern Airlines fleet
China Southern Airlines has a large aircraft fleet Asia’s largest airline in aircraft fleet size, and long haul international flights are normally operated by Airbus A380, Boeing 787, Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and Airbus A330 aircraft.

Guangzhou Baiyun Airport
The main airport used by China Southern Airlines is Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, located in southern China, and the 2nd busiest airport in China. The airport is located approximately 28 kms from downtown Guangzhou, and the easiest transportation option is to use a taxi or one of the Airport Express buses. In Beijing, China Southern Airlines operates domestic and international flights from Terminal 2.

China Southern Airlines ground service
Check in service is at a good standard in Guangzhou Airport, and there are many self-serve check-in facilities, together with Sky Priority services. China Southern Airlines also has a separate Premium check in lounge for First and Business class international customers.

China Southern Airlines international First and Business class lounge at Guangzhou Airport is spacious and modern, arranged over 2 floors with a relaxing area and shower facilities located on the upper floor. Lounge catering standards are good, with a seated restaurant area and live cooking station serving freshly prepared dishes. WiFi is available, although speeds mirror many Chinese airport standards by being slow.

China Southern Airlines have applied a lot of attention in recent years to developing and improving the transfer process through Guangzhou Airport for international flights, and this now offers a reasonably easy exercise without long delays. The international departure gates area at Guangzhou Airport do not offer much in the way of facilities for transfer customers, and be warned that food and beverage options are limited and very expensive!

The domestic First Class lounges at Guangzhou Airport are very modern and well presented, delivering a strong 4-Star Airline standard. Facilities offer comfortable and pleasant waiting areas.

Onboard China Southern Airlines
On international flights, China Southern Airlines offer First class, Business Class, Premium Economy and Economy class on their aircraft. Domestic flights normally offer a Business Class cabin, several rows of Premium Economy seating and a main Economy class cabin.

First Class
The new Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus A380 aircraft provides seat pod style flat bed seats, in a 1x2x1 layout, with seat cocoon style flat bed seats on Boeing 787 and Airbus A330 aircraft. The seats are spacious, offer good privacy and there is a large IFE screen. A nice duvet and pillows are supplied, and staff are efficient at providing a turndown service. The onboard catering is ranked at 4-Star standards, with a good choice off both the Chinese menu and Western meal options. A good choice of wines are available. An amenity kit is provided, slippers and nice pyjamas (it is advisable to select the largest size for comfort). Cabin staff service is generally very good, most cabin staff have a good understanding of English, and staff language skills are improving year on year. You may of course find that some staff will not understand if you go off-script, but fellow staff are always able to assist. The choice of reading materials is reasonably good with English language Chinese and some destination titles of newspaper offered, and a selection of English language magazines. The IFE system is good on International aircraft, and a choice of Western movies is offered, as are Western TV programmes.

Business Class
China Southern Airlines widebody aircraft offer flat bed seats / seat pods, arranged in a 1x2x1 layout on Boeing 777-300ER. There are flat bed seats on other aircraft, some arranged 1x2x1 and others a more conventional 2x2x2. A nice duvet and pillow are provided. Pyjamas are not normally supplied, but you receive an amenity kit and slippers. The onboard catering is quite similar to First Class (some service and presentation differences), with a good mix of Chinese and Western options. Cabin staff service is efficient and normally to a friendly and courteous standard. The IFE system is patchy, and you may find that the responsiveness is very slow. The choice of reading materials is reasonably good with English language Chinese and some destination titles of newspaper offered. The IFE system is good on International aircraft, and a choice of Western movies is offered, as are Western TV programmes.

Economy Class
China Southern Airlines Economy class seats provide a reasonable standard of comfort, with an average seat pitch and legroom. For the Cabin Seat Layout plans, we suggest you refer to our Airline Seat Plans guide where you can view Air China aircraft cabin layouts. A blanket and pillow are provided, at a 4-Star quality level. The Economy class onboard catering is ranked at 4-Star quality levels, with a choice of Chinese and Western meal options. Chinese tea is served with the meal and you may have to ask if you want to get a beer or wine served – it is worth specifically asking for this to be served chilled. The cabin staff are quite enthusiastic with a pleasant demeanour. They are trained with standard English language phrases, and you may find that some questions you ask confuse them, but persevere and they normally get a better English speaking member of staff to help. The IFE system is good on International aircraft, and a choice of Western movies is offered, as are Western TV programmes.

Domestic Flights
The majority of China Southern Airlines domestic flights are operated by narrow body Airbus A320/321 and Boeing 737 aircraft types, although some routes may use Airbus A380, Airbus A330 and Boeing 787 aircraft. The onboard narrowbody product is divided by Business Class seats configured 2×2, a few Premium Economy seat rows and standard Economy 3×3 seating. A meal or snack is normally served, subject to flight duration. Some flights offer IFE programming and a tablet loaded with TV/movies is offered in Business class where there is no in-seat IFE system.

Cultural Differences
It is worth remembering that there are clear cultural differences amongst many Chinese travellers, and some of these may be disconcerting to western customers. This is an area that the Chinese government has been trying to address in recent years, and in 2013 the China National Tourism Administration published a 64-page Guidebook for Civilized Tourism (encouraging better manners).

As far as air travel is concerned, you are likely to notice that queuing is often disorderly and when for example flight boarding is announced, there can often be a rapid stampede of travellers pushing and shoving to get through the gate quickly. Loud talking (almost shouting) is another trait you might find disconcerting both on the ground and onboard flights.

Spitting remains an issue despite educational promotions to stop this. Despite airline’s best efforts to keep passengers seated after landing, you may also find a number of passengers standing up to retrieve luggage whilst still taxiing. We guess that bit by bit such practices will gradually improve in coming years, but don’t forget there are 1.4 billion potential Chinese travellers.

VERDICT
China Southern Airlines is the best of the three government controlled airlines in China (Air China, China Eastern and China Southern), and is well ranked as a 4-Star Airline. A lot of progress in both product and service development and improvement has been made during the last 5 years at China Southern Airlines, and it becoming a more recognised name on the international stage. They often provide competitive fares, and on this basis we would recommend them as an airline to try.