High-level talks between Indonesia and China aimed at fighting illegal logging have broken up without an agreement as the latter “does not care” where it sources timber from.
Indonesia’s forestry minister Malam Kaban accused China of not caring where it sources timber from, after the failure of a ministerial meeting between the two nations.
He said China’s regulations state that all goods entering the country are legal.
But Mr Kaban said reaching a mutual understanding on the illegal trade was a “process” and he hopes an agreement will eventually be possible.
He estimated the illegal trade in wood from Indonesia to China has reached about 9 million m3, worth some US$1.86bn. Indonesia is the largest source of plywood and timber for China.
