China attempted a crackdown 20 years ago after the SARS epidemic that began in late 2002 and turned China upside down for much of 2003. After exotic animals, most likely the civitcat was identified as the source of the SARS infection. It's a large trade worth tens of billions of dollars. They're sold in markets that often sell a lot of fresh meat and seafood. And people go and buy sometimes live, sometimes slaughtered on the spot.