Global Witness said on Wednesday, October 24, that a Chinese forest company exported millions of dollars worth of illegal wood from the DRC to China last year, despite Beijing's commitment to combat global deforestation.

The NGO Global Witness reported that the accused company continued to illegally exploit rare hardwoods in the tropical forest, despite the suspension of forest concessions by the Chinese company Congo King Baisheng Forestry Development by the Ministry of the Environment from the country in April 2022. Indeed, more than five million dollars worth of wood were illegally exported from the DRC to China between June and December 2022. The NGO noted that while Beijing is committed “to enforcing its laws to combat illegal deforestation globally, the report shows that China still does not ban illegal wood imports in practice.”