The wild card remains China, which effectively sets pricing by its decision on export permitting for its own rare earths output.

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And fans in China will no doubt go wild.

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"We implement our international obligations to protect endangered wild animals, and we have always honoured our international obligations, " China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters as the auction opened.

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The leaf eating monkeys are found in Vietnam and southern China and it is thought less than 2, 500 remain in the wild.

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Many of the most critically affected species are found in China, including Magnolia phanerophlebia, of which only around 200 trees are estimated to exist in the wild and Magnolia sinica, believed to have a single population of fewer than 10 mature trees.

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