Designed to promote sustainable overseas forest management, the handbook calls on Chinese logging companies to do their part to “establish the image of our government being a ‘responsible green nation’”.

The timber consumed by China has come under the spotlight in recent months, with Greenpeace calling on Chinese DIY retailers to only stock legally sourced timber, B&Q China taking merbau flooring off its shelves and the Tropical Forest Trust imploring Western consumers to only purchase wood-based products from China that have full chain of custody, in order to increase the pressure on China’s timber industry to meet legality and sustainability requirements.