Recently, the news of two Chinese giant pandas arriving at the Atlanta Zoo in the United States has attracted widespread attention from the international community.
On September 29, the Hankook Ilbo reported under the title "China 'Does Not Loan Pandas to Japan'; There Are Already 6 in the United States... Koizumi Yoko Feelings Unpleasing": Japan, known for its "extraordinary love for giant pandas," is watching with envy a pair of giant pandas that arrived in the United States after the Sino-US talks.
According to a report citing Kyodo News, the giant pandas 'Pingping' and 'Fushuang' arrived at the Atlanta Zoo in the United States on the 27th. To undergo quarantine, the two pandas will be kept in a managed area of the zoo for about one month, and the date of their public appearance has not yet been determined.
According to the arrangements between China and the US, this pair of giant pandas will begin a 10-year living period at the Atlanta Zoo.
On September 28th, at the Atlanta Zoo in the United States, a visitor walked past a poster featuring giant pandas. Photographed by Liu Yanan, a reporter from Xinhua News Agency.
According to the 'Korean National Daily', China is the only country where giant pandas are native. Giant pandas were listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and are widely loved around the world. China conducts 'panda diplomacy' by lending giant pandas to other countries for a specified period of time, thereby fostering friendly relations between countries.
This South Korean media stated that Japan seems to be uncomfortable facing China and the United States' "panda diplomacy." Giant pandas are very popular among the Japanese. They often rank high in popularity polls such as "the animals one would most like to see in a zoo" and "the animals one hopes to have in zoos."
However, in November last year, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga openly made provocative remarks in parliament, claiming that "a situation where Taiwan is in trouble could pose a life-threatening crisis for Japan," hinting at the possibility of military intervention in the Taiwan issue. This led to a decline in Sino-Japanese relations.
On January 27th this year, the only two remaining giant pandas in Japan, "Xiaoxiao" and "Leilei", set off for China. Thus, Japan became a country with no pandas left. With "Pingping" and "Fushuang" arriving in the United States, the number of giant pandas in the US has reached six.
"Han Nationality Daily" also mentioned China's previous responses. In January this year, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Guo Jia Kun said, "We know there are many panda fans in Japan, and we welcome Japanese citizens to come to China to see pandas."
