China was reelected on Monday as one of the Asian delegates in the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora (CITES), a source with the State Administration of Forestry (SAF) confirmed on Tuesday.

Selections were made during the ongoing 13th Meeting of the Parties (COP 13) in Bangkok, Thailand.

The CITES standing committee is made up of delegates from six regions: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America and the Caribbean/Oceania region.

Each region has one to four delegates on the standing committee, who help to implement decisions made by the CITES, give instructions to member countries and make decisions concerning penalties for breaches of the convention.

This is the third time China has been elected as an Asian delegate since it became a signatory to the convention in 1981. It also served in this position from 2000 to 2004.

China has repeatedly been singled out for praise during COP 13 for the improvements made in its conservation programs and systems.

As of the end of 2003, the state forestry system administered 1,538 nature reserves, covering an area of 118 million hectares, or 12.3 percent of the country's territory. Protection of such endangered species as giant pandas, golden monkeys, tigers, Tibetan antelopes and orchidaceous plants has improved substantially.

The 166 member governments of the CITES opened COP 13 on October 2 to update the trade rules governing some of the world's most exploited and economically valuable wildlife species.

The conference has decided on about 50 proposals for improving the conservation and sustainable use of the African elephant, the minke whale, the great white shark, the Chinese yew and other medicinal plants, five Asian turtles and many other species.

The meeting will close on October 14.

(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2004)