JINAN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Customs officers in the coastal city of Qingdao in eastern China's Shandong Province said Wednesday that they have seized 22 live seedlings in a parcel from Japan, of which 21 were endangered plant species.

(File photo: CGTN)

Qingdao Customs said the seedlings were delivered from Japan's Fukui Prefecture and would be sent to the city of Linyi in Shandong.

An investigation found that the 21 seedlings, including cactus and orchids, are all endangered species listed within the appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and their international trade was strictly controlled.

According to Chinese laws and regulations, the seedlings are also prohibited from entering the country through the mail or being taken into the country.