A State Forestry Administration spokesperson said there was “no basis” to claims by environmental groups, adding that China has “very strict import controls”.
He said the Chinese government practised collective international responsibility and was cracking down on illegal wood imports.
A recent study by the Centre for International Forestry Research and other groups found that more than half the log exports from Papua New Guinea, Myanmar and Indonesia went to China.
Global Witness claims most of China’s timber imports from Myanmar in 2005, worth an estimated US$350m, were illegal.
