China Ponders Halt To Executing Animal Smugglers, Old People 2.56K Jeff Neumann 08/30/10 04:30AM Filed to: Laws Laws China Crimes Criminals Death Penalty Good news for criminals in China: The government has proposed dropping the death penalty for several crimes, such as smuggling exotic animals and relics. And no more elderly executions, either. Currently, 68 crimes are punishable by death in China.