China plans to continue panda diplomacy by sending pandas to the United States, following Spain.
According to Xinhua News Agency on the 22nd, the China Wildlife Conservation Association recently signed an agreement with the Madrid Zoo in Spain and the San Diego Zoo in the United States to agree on international conservation cooperation for pandas.
Accordingly, it is reported that a pair of pandas are scheduled to arrive at the San Diego Zoo in the United States as early as this summer.
Additionally, the Wildlife Conservation Society announced that it is currently discussing new cooperation with the Washington National Zoo in the United States and the Schonbrunn Zoo in Austria.
China’s panda diplomacy began in earnest when a pair of pandas were sent to the United States when U.S. President Richard Nixon visited China in 1972. In addition to the United States, Spain and Austria are the countries that initially began discussions on international panda conservation cooperation with China.
Typically, China signs agreements to promote panda conservation cooperation and lends pandas to countries with conservation facilities. The pandas Aibao and LeBao, who came to Korea in 2016, also received pandas as gifts from the Chinese government after signing a memorandum of understanding on joint promotion of panda conservation cooperation between Korea and China.
“The new cooperation will focus on preventing and controlling major panda diseases, protecting panda habitats, improving monitoring capabilities, and establishing an international academic exchange platform,” Xinhua said. “It will promote people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries, and promote cooperation between China and foreign countries.” “It will promote friendly feelings among foreign people,” he said.
In relation to this, the Wildlife Conservation Association also explained, “Ensuring a healthy and safe life for pandas overseas is the most important premise and foundation for international cooperation,” and added, “We will strengthen health monitoring of pandas overseas this year.”
As China has decided to pursue panda cooperation with Spain and the United States, it is expected that the ‘panda’ legacy in these countries will continue.
In the United States, as three pandas were returned to China last month, there are currently four pandas remaining at the Atlanta Zoo, and their lease contract was scheduled to end this year. There was great interest at home and abroad because if they left, the era of ‘panda diplomacy’ between the US and China would come to an end.
Meanwhile, President Xi Jinping hinted at resuming ‘panda diplomacy’ during his visit to the United States last year, saying, “We are ready to continue to cooperate with the United States for panda conservation.”
China has already announced its plan to send a pair of pandas to Spain. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during a recent visit to Spain that once the panda family whose rental period has expired is returned to China, a pair of pandas will be sent back to Spain to expand people-to-people exchanges.
“Since the 1990s, China has carried out panda conservation cooperation with 26 zoos in 20 districts, promoting international cooperation in protecting endangered wild animals and promoting friendship between China and foreigners,” said Maoning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Cooperation is expected to further promote people-to-people friendship,” he said.
(Beijing = News 1)
Source: Donga
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