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☆ Global military spending saw its steepest spike in more than a decade, with the US vastly outspending everyone else
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Global military spending in 2023 rose to the highest levels ever recorded, analysts said. All five of the institute's defined geographical regions saw rises in military spending for the first time since 2009, with Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Oceania recording particularly large increases, it said. This, in turn, has ramped up military spending. It also highlighted Ukraine, which ranked eighth in terms of overall defense spending, following a 51% year-on-year increase. At the same time, Israel saw its defense spending rise by 24% to reach $27.5 billion in 2023, mostly due to its large-scale offensive in Gaza, SIPRI's report found.

Persons: —, SIPRI, Nan Tian, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Lorenzo Scarazzato, spender, Israel Organizations: Global, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Service, International Crisis, Getty, NATO Locations: Stockholm, Europe, East, Asia, Oceania, Ukraine, Gaza, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, China

☆ Ukraine War Helped Push World Military Spending to 35-Year High, Study Says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Lara Jakes | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The study, by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, concluded that global military spending reached $2.4 trillion last year — a 6.8 percent increase from 2022. “The unprecedented rise in military spending is a direct response to the global deterioration in peace and security,” said Nan Tian, a senior researcher at the institute, which has tracked military expenditures since at least 1988. He described an “increasingly volatile geopolitical and security landscape.”Ukraine, in its first full year of war with Russia, devoted $64.8 billion to its military in 2023. That accounted for 58 percent of the government’s overall spending last year and 37 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. Only seven other countries spent more on military and defense costs than Ukraine in 2023, analysts found.

Persons: spender, ”, Nan Tian Organizations: Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Locations: Ukraine, Stockholm, Asia, United States, Russia

☆ Global military spending hit all-time high in 2023 after 7% jump, report finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The figure marked a 6.8% increase from 2022 and the sharpest year-on-year jump since 2009, the institute said in a report on military spending trends. "The unprecedented rise in military spending is a direct response to the global deterioration in peace and security," Nan Tian, senior researcher in SIPRI's military expenditure and arms production programme, said in a statement. Military expenditure has been rising for nine years straight, and military spending bolstered in all regions of the world for the first time since 2009, the report found. Ukraine's military spending meanwhile totaled around $64.8 billion — around 59% the amount of Russia's spending, but 37% of Ukraine's GDP, the report said. Tensions in the Middle East also significantly contributed to the overall rise in global military spending, the report said.

Persons: Nan Tian, spender, Lorenzo Scarazzato, Donald Trump, Jens Stoltenberg Organizations: 1st Tank Brigade, Ukrainian Ground Forces, Getty Images, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Kyiv, NATO, U.S Locations: Ukraine, Stockholm, Central America, Caribbean, Russia, China, U.S, East, Israel, Gaza

☆ Study links accelerated aging to cancer risk in younger adults
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-07 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Researchers looking for clues about why some types of cancer are on the rise in younger adults say they’ve found an interesting lead: a connection to accelerated biological aging. What faster aging could tell us about cancer riskAfter adjusting the data for factors they thought might bias their results, the researchers found that accelerated aging was associated with increased risk for cancer. “There are medications that also look like they can slow down accelerated aging,” said Blaes, who is testing two of them in cancer survivors. Cancer survivors often show greater biological aging, perhaps because of the after effects of therapies like chemotherapy and radiation. It’s not quite prime time, where we would go out and prescribe those medications for people, but this is really, really important work,” Blaes said.

Persons: they’ve, It’s, ”, Yin Cao, Louis, Cao, Tian, ” Cao, Anne Blaes, “, Blaes, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ” Blaes Organizations: CNN, Washington University School of Medicine, American Association of Cancer, University of Minnesota, Hematology, Oncology, UM, CNN Health, Cancer Locations: St, San Diego

☆ Helicopter rescues Taiwan miners as earthquake injuries cross 1,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A person walks past an area of a damaged building that is cordoned off following the earthquake on April 04, 2024 in Hualien, Taiwan. A helicopter ferried to safety six miners trapped on a cliff in a dramatic rescue after the quake cut off the roads into Hualien's soaring mountains, in footage shown by the department. People in largely rural and sparsely populated Hualien county were readyingto go to work and school when the earthquake struck offshore on Wednesday. Dozens of residents queued outside one badly damaged 10-storey building, waiting to go in and retrieve belongings. She recalled the moment the quake struck, sending the building lurching and furniture sliding, while she rushed to save the four puppies she keeps as pets.

Persons: Yu, Tian Liang, I'm Organizations: Reuters Locations: Hualien, Taiwan, Taipei

☆ Russia could turn on Putin as the nation's economic strength wanes and sanctions keep tightening, economists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's economic strength is likely to wane this year, economists say. Putin's economic fantasyThe tailspin Sonnenfeld, Tian, and Guriev are predicting seems contradictory to what Russia is presenting on the surface. Russian inflation is also high, clocking in at 7.58%, according to data from Russia's economic ministry. Guriev doesn't believe Russia's economy will completely unravel, as central bankers will work hard to limit the damage. Advertisement"It's unlikely the Russian economy will spiral into a macroeconomic meltdown, and that the Russian political system will," he said.

Persons: Putin, Joe Biden, —, Vladimir Putin, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Steven Tian, Tian, Trump's, Sergei Guriev, Sonnenfeld, he's, Guriev, Putin's Organizations: Service, Yale, London Business School, Russia Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Soviet

☆ China February new bank loans dip more than expected, lending growth at record low
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

New bank lending in China fell more than expected in February from a record high the previous month, even as the central bank seeks to spur sluggish economic growth and fight deflationary pressures. New bank lending in China fell more than expected in February from a record high the previous month, even as the central bank seeks to spur sluggish economic growth and fight deflationary pressures. Outstanding yuan loans grew 10.1% from a year earlier — the lowest on record — compared with 10.4% growth in January. Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted new yuan loans would fall to 1.50 trillion yuan in February from 4.92 trillion yuan the previous month and against 1.81 trillion yuan a year earlier. Chinese banks made 6.37 trillion yuan in new yuan loans in the first two months of 2024, data released by the central bank showed on Friday.

Organizations: People's Bank of China, Analysts, Reuters, ING, Consumer Locations: Beijing, China

☆ China’s coast guard has triggered ‘panic’ in Taiwan. That’s only part of Beijing’s plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Nectar Gan | Wayne Chang | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“It’s super scary,” a passenger told Taiwan’s United Daily News in a video upon returning to shore under the escort of a Taiwanese coast guard ship on Monday. “(The Chinese coast guard) chose a tourist vessel because it’s high profile – you would expect lots of people on the boat with cameras and phones,” he said. The stakes are high, as the increased presence and closer proximity of Chinese and Taiwanese coast guard vessels raise the specter of miscalculations that could potentially spiral into open conflict. Speaking to reporters about the inspection by the Chinese coast guard, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-kcheng highlighted such risks, saying the defense ministry is “very concerned” about potential miscalculations. Taiwan's coast guard inspects a vessel that capsized during a chase off the coast of Kinmen on February 14, 2024.

Persons: King Xia, ” Kuan, Taiwan’s, Ian Chong, Chong, ”, “ They’re, Chiu Kuo, Lai Ching, China’s, Nancy Pelosi’s, Tian Feilong, It’s, Tian, “, Lai Organizations: Taipei CNN, Taiwan’s United Daily News, Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, Democratic Progressive Party, National University of Singapore, South China, Taiwan’s, Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Locations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Taiwanese, Kinmen, China’s, Beijing, Taiwan, Xiamen, China, East, South, Taiwan's, Nauru, Taiwan Strait

☆ China gives suspended death sentence to Tian Huiyu, former China Merchants Bank president
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The court said he had used his privileged access to information to make more than 290 million yuan ($41 million) in illegal gains from the stock market. He also leaked inside information about stocks to other people, which yielded more than 8 million yuan ($1.1 million) in illicit profits, it said. In return, he accepted bribes worth more than 210 million yuan ($30 million), it said. In 2013, Tian was promoted to head China Merchants Bank, serving as its president and its Communist Party boss. The Communist Party has stepped up its crackdown on the country’s state-owned financial system since last year.

Persons: Tian Huiyu, Xi Jinping, Tian, Wang Qishan, ”, Li Xiaopeng, Liu Liange, Bao Fan, Bao Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Merchants Bank, China Construction Bank, China Cinda Asset Management, Beijing, Communist Party, Central Commission, Communist, Adobe, China Everbright Group, Bank of China, China Renaissance Locations: China, Hong Kong, Changde city, Hunan, China’s, Shanghai, Changde

☆ A surge of Russian demand has made China the world's biggest car exporter
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Automakers Geely and Great Wall Motor similarly saw a sharp uptick in car sales to Russia. A combination of soaring prices, weak consumer sentiment, and dwindling supply has sent domestic car sales crashing to roughly a quarter of pre-war times. "Russians are just buying less cars, period," researcher Steven Tian said in an interview with Business Insider at the time.

Persons: —, Geely, BYD, Steven Tian Organizations: Service, Wall, Business, China Passenger Car Association, Chery, Elon Musk's, Yale Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, China, Japan, Russia

☆ Fact-Checking Kremlin's Claim That More Foreign Companies Remain in Russia Than Have Left
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

AdvertisementAfter Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, over 1,000 foreign companies announced they would exit Russia in protest against the war. "More foreign companies remain in Russia than those who left the country," Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, told Business Insider in late October. 1: Data from Yale UniversityYale University runs an ongoing study that examines which foreign companies have left Russia since the war began. Here are their results as of November 21:KSE's data shows that most foreign companies have not left Russia. Russia is making it difficult for foreign companies to exitMany companies still operating in Russia are also stuck in the process of exiting the market.

Persons: KSE, —, it's, haven't, Dmitry Peskov, Steven Tian, Tian, Agathe Demarais, Igor Lipsits Organizations: Kremlin, Yale, Service, BI, Yale University Yale University, Kyiv School of, Kyiv School of Economics, University of St, Yale's, Leadership Institute, BP, Benetton, Unilever, Nestlé, European Council, Foreign Relations, Financial Times Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Gallen, Switzerland, Ukrainian, Russian

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Many Western arms companies failed to ramp up production in 2022 despite a strong increase in demand for weapons and military equipment, a watchdog group said Monday, adding that labor shortages, soaring costs and supply chain disruptions had been exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “Many arms companies faced obstacles in adjusting to production for high-intensity warfare,” said Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, director of the independent institute's Military Expenditure and Arms Production Program. SIPRI said the revenues of the 42 U.S. companies on the list — accounting for 51% of total arms sales — fell by 7.9% to $302 billion in 2022. Of those, 32 recorded a fall in year-on-year arms revenue, most of them citing ongoing supply chain issues and labor shortages stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. ”However, despite the year-on-year drop, the total Top 100 arms revenue was still 14% higher in 2022 than in 2015 — the first year for which SIPRI included Chinese companies in its ranking.

Persons: ”, Lucie Béraud, SIPRI, Nan Tian, Lockheed Martin, ” SIPRI, Sudreau Organizations: STOCKHOLM, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Lockheed, Raytheon Technologies, ” Companies Locations: Ukraine, Stockholm, U.S, Asia, Israel, South Korea

☆ Britain Says Bye-Bye to Its Only Pandas as They’ll Soon Depart for China
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On Wednesday, crowds gathered to say goodbye and catch one final look at Yang Guang and Tian Tian, who for 12 years have enraptured millions of visitors and residents of Edinburgh. “We’ve flown up for the day; we must be mad,” Lauren Darling, who recently visited the zoo, told The Telegraph. But American zoo officials and scientists said that it came down to biology, or “panda time,” since the three pandas should be going back to China because they are at an advanced age. A similar reason was cited by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. The pandas, the zoo said, arrived in Edinburgh in December 2011 as part of a 10-year arrangement between the organization’s charity and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which allowed them to keep the pandas an extra two years because of the pandemic.

Persons: Yang Guang, Tian Tian, “ We’ve, ” Lauren Darling, It’s, Rebecca Plant Organizations: Telegraph, National Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: Edinburgh, Britain, Washington, China

☆ Britain bids farewell to its only giant pandas after 12 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Zookeepers have spent the last few weeks making sure the two pandas, Yang Guang and Tian Tian, are used to crates in preparation for their long journey, expected at some point in early December. [1/4]Yang Guang, one of the giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, eats bamboo stalks in its enclosure, in Edinburgh, Britain, November 29, 2023. REUTERS/Lesley Martin Acquire Licensing Rights"Yang Guang and Tian Tian have had an incredible impact by inspiring millions of people to care about nature," he said in a statement. The return of the Edinburgh bears to China comes as a number of giant pandas have also headed home from the U.S., part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. That began in 1972, when the government of China presented two giant pandas as gifts to the U.S. after President Richard Nixon's historic Cold War visit to the communist country.

Persons: Zookeepers, Yang Guang, Tian Tian, David Field, Lesley Martin, Richard Nixon's, Washington's, Sarah Young, Jan Harvey Organizations: Edinburgh Zoo, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, China Wildlife Conservation Association, REUTERS, Edinburgh, Thomson Locations: China, Edinburgh, Britain, U.S, Memphis, San Diego

"Many protesters experienced being part of a civic collective for the first time," said Huang, who fled to Germany in March after narrowly avoiding detention during protests in Shanghai. Reuters was unable to confirm the total number of protesters detained last year, although some were since released. This year, on the weekend anniversary of the protests, there were no demonstrations in Beijing and Shanghai. During last year's Beijing protests, some demonstrators also called for press freedom, democracy and human rights. Some of the protesters that Reuters spoke to, as well as observers, said the events helped raise awareness of how much political power Chinese people actually wielded.

Persons: Huang, Xi, It's, Li, Li Keqiang, I'm, Laurie Chen, Jessie Pang, Casey Hall, Nicoco Chan, Brenda Goh, Tian, Miral Organizations: Reuters, Washington DC, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, HONG KONG, China, Germany, Shanghai, Beijing, New York, London, Tiananmen, Italy, Guangzhou, Hong Kong

CNN —Almost three years on from its bloody coup, Myanmar’s military junta is facing the biggest threat to its hold on power as it fights wars on multiple fronts across the Southeast Asian nation. Junta airstrikes and ground attacks on what the Myanmar military calls “terrorist” targets have killed thousands of civilians to date, including children, and displaced about 2 million people. Stringer/AFP/Getty ImagesCNN has reached out to Myanmar’s military spokesperson for comment on the recent fighting but has not received a response. Stringer/AFP/Getty ImgesIn the jungles of southeast Kayah state, fighting has raged near the state capital Loikaw. Video filmed and published by the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force appears to show Myanmar army soldiers surrendering to rebels at Loikaw University who are filmed treating their injuries.

Persons: ”, Matthew Arnold, ” Arnold, Min Aung, Aung, Suu Kyi, “, Bo Nagar, Stringer, Myint Swe, Chin Shwe Haw, Nan Diya, Lalmalsawma Hnamte, Lin Lin, Ye Myo Hein, May, – “, Karen, Chin state’s Matupi, Tian Junli, Arnold, Myanmar’s, it’s, Suu Organizations: CNN, United Nations, National Unity Government, Junta, Myanmar, UN, Administration Council, Burma National Revolutionary Army, National Liberation Army, Alliance, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, Arakan Army, ”, Getty, Reuters, Loikaw, Karenni Nationalities Defense Force, Loikaw University, Resistance, Burma People’s Liberation Army, Brotherhood Alliance, United States Institute of Peace, Wilson Center, Border Guard Forces, China, Global Times, PLA Southern Theater Command Locations: Myanmar, Myanmar’s, Suu, Yangon, Mandalay, Burma, Namhsan Township, Shan State, AFP, Arakan, China, ”, Shan, Chin, Muse, Rakhine, Pauktaw, Lashio, Kayah, Mizoram, “, Sagaing region, Asia, Kawkareik, Karenni, Sagaing, India, Thailand, Bangladesh

BEIJING, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Arab and Muslim ministers called on Monday for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as their delegation visited Beijing on the first leg of a tour to push for an end to hostilities and to allow humanitarian aid into the devastated Palestinian enclave. Saudi Arabia has sought to press the United States and Israel for an end to hostilities in Gaza, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, gathered Arab and Muslim leaders to reinforce that message. Gaza's Hamas-run government said at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardments since then, including at least 5,500 children. 'BROTHER AND FRIEND'China's Wang said Beijing was a "good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries," adding it has "always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and interests." Reporting by Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen and Beijing newsroom; Editing by Edmund Klamann & Simon Cameron-MooreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Wang Yi, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Israel, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sameh Shoukry, Beijing Irit Ben, Abba, China's Wang, COVID lockdowns, Xi, Wang, Zhai Jun, Yew Lun Tian, Laurie Chen, Edmund Klamann, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: . Security, of Islamic Cooperation, Saudi Foreign, Court, Hamas, Western, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Arab League, EU, Palestine, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Gaza, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine, Riyadh, Palestinian, United States, Israel, China, China's

☆ Panda Diplomacy Might Not Be Dead Just Yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Edward Wong | More About Edward Wong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The fur balls might be coming back to Washington and San Diego. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said in a speech on Wednesday night that his nation’s best diplomats, giant pandas, might soon return to zoos in the United States that have recently sent bears back to their homeland. “We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” he told a gathering of mostly business executives at a dinner in San Francisco. Mr. Xi pointed out that the pandas are “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”Panda-monium gripped the United States last week when the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington sent its two aging adult pandas, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, or “Little Miracle,” back to China on a 19-hour FedEx flight, the Panda Express.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Mr, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji Organizations: FedEx, Panda Express Locations: Washington, San Diego, United States, San Francisco, China

☆ China pandas: Xi Jinping hints he could send new pandas to US as ‘envoys of friendship’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Yong Xiong | Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Their departure leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas from China. “Recently, the three pandas at Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C. have returned to China. The Chinese leader did not offer additional details on where any future Chinese pandas might be sent, but suggested California would be the most likely destination. The San Diego Zoo returned its last two pandas to China in 2019, after the loan agreement concluded. It’s also the Chinese leader’s first trip to the US in more than six years.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, “, Xi, Joe Biden, Richard Nixon’s, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji –, It’s, Biden Organizations: CNN, San Diego Zoo, Beijing –, Smithsonian National Zoo, Smithsonian National, Zoo, Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Locations: China, United States, San Francisco, Beijing, Europe, Germany, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Qatar, Washington ,, Zoo Atlanta, Washington, California, Bali , Indonesia

☆ US would welcome back any pandas from China, White House says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The United States would welcome back any giant pandas China decides to send, the White House said on Thursday after Chinese President Xi Jinping hinted he might return some of the cuddly-looking black-and-white bears as a friendship gesture. And we respect the sovereign decision that China made to remove some of the pandas," White House spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing. "And certainly should a decision be made by the PRC (People's Republic of China) to restore some of the pandas to the United States, we would absolutely welcome them back." He said he also learned that the San Diego Zoo and people in California look forward to welcoming pandas back. "Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples," Xi said.

Persons: Xi Jinping, John Kirby, Xi, Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Doina Chiacu, Michael Martina, Chris Reese Organizations: PRC, People's, San, Economic Cooperation, San Diego Zoo, Pandas, World Wildlife Fund, Zoo, Thomson Locations: United, China, People's Republic of China, United States, San Francisco, Asia, California, Washington, Sichuan

Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as China’s “national treasure,” flooded China’s social media. The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.

Persons: Xi Jinping, ” Xi, Xi, Joe Biden, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Biden, Ashraf Khalil Organizations: FRANCISCO, U.S ., National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Garden, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Associated Press Locations: China, United States, California, San Diego, U.S, Beijing, Washington, San Francisco, Memphis , Tennessee

The San Diego Zoo sent its pandas home in 2019 and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. Whatever the reason, San Diego Zoo officials were hopeful. "It is a moment with some heartbreak in it,” National Zoo Director Brandie Smith said at the time. The San Diego Zoo has been panda-less for four years and may need to upgrade or refurbish its facilities. The National Zoo had announced plans to renovate its panda house and outdoor enclosure, but the timing on those plans is unclear.

Persons: —, Xi Jinping, Xi, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji —, ”, Daniel Ashe, ” Dennis Wilder, ” Wilder, Wilder, Gavin Newsom's, Xi’s, Paul A, Baribault, Ling, Hsing, Brandie Smith, Le Le, Didi Tang, Amy Taxin Organizations: WASHINGTON, San Diego Zoo, National Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, Veteran, Economic Cooperation, Association of Zoos, Aquariums, Georgetown University’s Initiative, U.S, California Gov, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, “, Zoo, Associated Press Locations: America, California, San Diego, U.S, Memphis , Tennessee, China, Veteran China, People's Republic, Asia, San Francisco, United States, Washington, Memphis, Santa Ana , California

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian arrived in 2000, about one year after Hsing-Hsing was euthanized due to kidney disease and eight years after Ling Ling’s passing from heart failure. The two new pandas stayed for a decade under the first formal pact, then remained under two consecutive five-year agreements. Mei Xiang gave birth in August 2020, at an age when scientists had thought she would no longer be able to have a baby. Zoos that host pandas outside of China usually agree to send cubs back before they turn 4, and to send adults back when they are elderly — Mei Xiang is 25 and Tian Tian 26. “I don’t want to have a panda pass away outside of China.”

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Hsing, Ling Ling’s, Xiao Qi Ji, ”, Melissa Songer, “ Locations: China, Washington

The pandas’ departure from the National Zoo leaves Zoo Atlanta as the only other US zoo to feature pandas from China, and not for much longer. First lady Pat Nixon welcomes China's giant pandas on April 20, 1972, at Washington's National Zoo. They have since become the parents of seven giant panda cubs born at Zoo Atlanta, according to the zoo. Staff at the National Zoo say they’re hopeful China might one day send over more giant pandas. Plans for the exhibit, with a welcome sign announcing the “Giant Pandas of Chengdu” and a panda-themed gift shop, aren’t clear.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Nixon, Mao Zedong, Richard Nixon, ”, Mao Ning, Richard Nixon’s, Mao Zedong’s, Pat Nixon, “, Hsing, YaYa, Xin Xin, David Culver, Fernando Gual Sill, CNN Xin Xin –, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Yang Yang, Lun Lun, Steve Schaefer, –, Bob Lee, Jane Mahalik, “ Pat Nixon, ” Mahalik, Jill Biden, Yong Xiong, Melissa Gray Organizations: CNN, Smithsonian National Zoo, ” Zoo, National Zoo, Zoo, AP China, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Washington, of Public Service, Memphis Zoo, Atlanta, Chapultepec Zoo, Pandas, Zoo Atlanta, Getty, Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Chengdu Research Base, Staff, National Locations: Washington ,, China, what’s, Zoo Atlanta, Beijing, United States, City of Peking, Washington, Atlanta, Russia, Mexico City, Chapultepec, Mexico, “, China’s, Moscow, Qatar, AFP, America, Zoo, Chengdu, New York, Los Angeles

The pandas, accompanied by three zookeepers, will travel to a reserve in China’s mountainous Sichuan province, where an estimated 1,800 pandas are still found in the wild, according to the National Zoo. "It's a moment of joy because this is one more step in 50 years of a successful giant panda conservation program and hopefully the beginning of 50 more years of successful giant panda conservation," she said. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, arrived at the National Zoo in 2000. The trio, made famous by the zoo's "Giant Panda Cam" with more than 100 million views, were part of a fading legacy in which giant pandas served as animal ambassadors. Kimberly Blalock, a young visitor at the National Zoo on Tuesday, was among the last to see the pandas on display in Washington.

Persons: Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, munch, Brandie Smith, It's, Mei Xiang, Richard Nixon's, Kimberly Blalock, Kevin Fogarty, Kia Johnson, Rich McKay, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Boeing, FedEx Panda Express, Dulles International, National Zoo ., National Zoo, U.S . Pandas, China Wildlife Conservation, U.S, Georgia's Zoo, Thomson Locations: China, Sichuan, U.S, Memphis, San Diego, Georgia's, Georgia's Zoo Atlanta, Washington, Atlanta

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