Criminal justice cooperation to combat transnational wildlife crime: An examination of cooperation between China and Africa

Effective criminal justice cooperation is critical to combat transnational wildlife crimes and disrupt illegal supply chains. However, few studies have examined criminal justice cooperation between China and African countries, which represent the primary global wildlife importers and exporters, respectively, in combating wildlife crimes. Prompted by the rampant wildlife trafficking between China and Africa, this article aims to fill the literature gap on the topic by examining how the existing forms of criminal justice cooperation (formal and informal cooperation) are currently being used and exploring the strengths, limitations and interactions of the two forms of cooperation through in-depth interviews and comparative analysis. The findings indicate that both formal and informal criminal justice cooperation between China and Africa are crucial to combat transnational wildlife crime. Where formal cooperation is absent, the informal approach can promote cooperation to address wildlife trafficking to some extent. Although there has been gradual progress in criminal justice cooperation between China and Africa in recent years, this article shows that the immature development of formal criminal justice cooperation and the rare use of the anti-money laundering mechanism for informal cooperation have resulted in sub-optimally effective criminal justice cooperation. The article offers suggestions to enhance formal and informal criminal justice cooperation under the multi-actor collaboration arrangement for future criminal justice cooperation between China and Africa to address transnational illegal wildlife trade.