A suspected Chinese ivory smuggler has been apprehended in Kenya after a coordinated operation between the two countries, China's wildlife authorities said on Monday.

The suspect, surnamed Xue, was caught in Nairobi on Jan 17 by Kenyan authorities and extradited to China the next day, the China Endangered Species Import and Export Management Office said.

"This is the first time that China has arrested wildlife crime suspects outside of the country," said Wan Ziming, director of the Law Enforcement and Training Division under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Management Authority of China.