CHENGDU, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- A higher court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence for Wang Haowen, who was convicted of trafficking children.

The higher court in southwest China's Sichuan Province heard his appeal and decided to reject it, maintaining the original verdict. The ruling will be referred to the Supreme People's Court for final approval.

Court documents showed that Wang, either acting alone or in collaboration with accomplices, abducted 14 children from regions including Hubei and Sichuan and sold them in regions such as Shantou in Guangdong from 2001 to 2014.

In May 2024, an intermediate court in Sichuan sentenced Wang to death for child trafficking, stripped him of his political rights for life, and ordered the confiscation of all his personal assets. Wang appealed the decision after hearing the ruling. ■