Prince William calls on China to fight 'vicious' illegal wildlife trade and protect elephants

Prince William has called on China to unite with the United Kingdom in the fight against the "vicious" poaching and trafficking of animals.

The royal expressed fear that the world was "hurtling towards the tragic outcome" that elephants and other animals would soon be extinct.

Describing the illegal wildlife trade as "our common enemy", the Duke of Cambridge told gatherers at an elephant sanctuary in Yunnan province that the extinction of elephants would be an "immeasurable loss to the whole of humanity".

The Duke has been a vocal campaigner against the illegal trade in elephant ivory. China is a huge consumer of the product.

He is said to have raised the subject of wildlife protection and the illegal trade in ivory in talks with China's president Xi Jinping earlier this week.

William said international cooperation was "our strongest form of defence" against poaching, which he described as a "vicious form of criminality".

"Traffickers think nothing of violating laws and sovereignty anywhere they can to exploit a loophole or turn a profit," he said.

"It is a vicious form of criminality; plundering the natural resources of poorer countries, taking lives, hindering development and spreading corruption.

"It erodes the rule of law, fuels conflict and may even fund terrorism."

He said China must join forces with the UK to help countries protect their vulnerable species, crack down on illegal trade and reduce the demand for products such as ivory.

"China can be a global leader in the fight against illegal wildlife trade, and I greatly hope the United Kingdom and China can partner one another in this endeavor," William said.

"No tradition or fashion is worth the extinction of an entire species and no criminal gang should be allowed to destroy any part of nature."

The Duke was speaking at the end of a seven-day tour of Japan and China.