Beijing: She once described herself as the "best example of friendship between China and Tanzania".

But more than four decades after arriving in the African country, a Chinese restaurant owner faces a 30-year prison sentence for allegedly smuggling tusks from more than 350 elephants.

Yang Fenglan, dubbed the Ivory Queen, is accused of smuggling tusks from more than 350 elephants. Credit:Elephant Action League

Yang Fenglan, 66, appears frail and ageing, and has been depicted in Chinese media as the innocent victim of a witch hunt carried out by the African country for political reasons.