San Francisco receives two pandas from China: NPR
San Francisco Mayor London Breed (left) and Wu Mingru, executive director of the China Wildlife Conservation Society, hold up an agreement with the San Francisco Zoological Society to lease giant pandas for the garden during a signing ceremony in Beijing on Friday.
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San Francisco Mayor London Breed (left) and Wu Mingru, executive director of the China Wildlife Conservation Society, hold up an agreement with the San Francisco Zoological Society to lease giant pandas for the garden during a signing ceremony in Beijing on Friday.
Liu Zhen/AP
BEIJING — San Francisco is the latest U.S. city to prepare to take in a pair of pandas from China, a continuation of Beijing's famous “panda diplomacy.”
San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the panda loan in Beijing on Friday with officials from the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA). Breed said he is the first long-term recipient of a beloved animal in San Francisco and is the culmination of a year-long advocacy campaign.
San Diego previously announced In February, they took in two pandas.
China is the only natural habitat for pandas and is home to most of the world's black and white bears. The Chinese government lends animals to other countries as a diplomatic and wildlife conservation tool.
“San Francisco is thrilled to welcome giant pandas to the San Francisco Zoo,” Breed said after signing a letter of intent for international cooperation on giant panda conservation.
Breed said the city had been working with Chinese and Asian communities to advocate for pandas for nearly a year, leading up to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where the presidents of the United States and China met in San Francisco last November. said.
CWCA Executive Director Wu Minglu said the association will work with San Francisco authorities to prepare for the pandas' arrival and ensure technical standards for their protection.
“We look forward to a pair of giant pandas coming to San Francisco in 2025,” he said.
When the city of San Diego announced in February that it would take in two pandas, it was the first time in more than 20 years that China had agreed to send pandas to the United States.
There are currently only four giant pandas living in the United States, all of them at the Atlanta Zoo. China has not renewed its zoo financing agreements in recent years. Washington DC, Concerns are growing in Memphis, Tennessee, that geopolitical tensions could spell an end to historic panda diplomacy with the West.
The black-and-white bear has become a symbol of friendship between the United States and China since 1972, when the Chinese government gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., ahead of the normalization of diplomatic relations. China then loaned the pandas to zoos to breed panda cubs and increase the population.
Friday's announcement came ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's planned visit to China next week.
The United States and China have stepped up diplomatic exchanges in recent months to ease escalating tensions. However, frictions remain over trade, national security, and differing positions on conflicts such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
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San Francisco Mayor London Breed (left) and Wu Mingru, executive director of the China Wildlife Conservation Society, hold up an agreement with the San Francisco Zoological Society to lease giant pandas for the garden during a signing ceremony in Beijing on Friday.
Liu Zhen/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Liu Zhen/AP
San Francisco Mayor London Breed (left) and Wu Mingru, executive director of the China Wildlife Conservation Society, hold up an agreement with the San Francisco Zoological Society to lease giant pandas for the garden during a signing ceremony in Beijing on Friday.
Liu Zhen/AP
BEIJING — San Francisco is the latest U.S. city to prepare to take in a pair of pandas from China, a continuation of Beijing's famous “panda diplomacy.” San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced the panda loan in Beijing on Friday with officials from the China Wildlife Conservation Association (CWCA). Breed said he is the first long-term recipient of a beloved animal in San Francisco and is the culmination of a year-long advocacy campaign. San Diego previously announced In February, they took in two pandas. China is the only natural habitat for pandas and is home to most of the world's black and white bears. The Chinese government lends animals to other countries as a diplomatic and wildlife conservation tool.
“San Francisco is thrilled to welcome giant pandas to the San Francisco Zoo,” Breed said after signing a letter of intent for international cooperation on giant panda conservation. Breed said the city had been working with Chinese and Asian communities to advocate for pandas for nearly a year, leading up to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, where the presidents of the United States and China met in San Francisco last November. said. CWCA Executive Director Wu Minglu said the association will work with San Francisco authorities to prepare for the pandas' arrival and ensure technical standards for their protection. “We look forward to a pair of giant pandas coming to San Francisco in 2025,” he said. When the city of San Diego announced in February that it would take in two pandas, it was the first time in more than 20 years that China had agreed to send pandas to the United States.
There are currently only four giant pandas living in the United States, all of them at the Atlanta Zoo. China has not renewed its zoo financing agreements in recent years. Washington DC, Concerns are growing in Memphis, Tennessee, that geopolitical tensions could spell an end to historic panda diplomacy with the West. The black-and-white bear has become a symbol of friendship between the United States and China since 1972, when the Chinese government gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., ahead of the normalization of diplomatic relations. China then loaned the pandas to zoos to breed panda cubs and increase the population.
Friday's announcement came ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's planned visit to China next week. The United States and China have stepped up diplomatic exchanges in recent months to ease escalating tensions. However, frictions remain over trade, national security, and differing positions on conflicts such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
https://npr.org/2024/04/20/1246099651/pandas-san-francisco-china San Francisco receives two pandas from China: NPR
