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☆ The Panda Factories
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Mara Hvistendahl | Joy Dong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +30 min

They show that, from the beginning, zoos saw panda cubs as a pathway to visitors, prestige and merchandise sales. Panda keepers with cubs at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, in China, in 2022. A Chinese giant panda at the Panda Park in Al Khor, in Qatar, in 2022. Smithsonian Institution Archives A panda wakes up from anesthesia in March 1999 during a seminal study by American and Chinese researchers into panda breeding. Smithsonian Institution Archives Giant panda Mei Xiang taken out of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province, in 2000, for shipment to the National Zoo in Washington.

Persons: Ariana Drehsler, Kati Loeffler, “, ’, Loeffler, Kimberly Terrell, ”, Terrell, Soraya, Xin Bao, zookeepers, Richard M, Nixon, Pat Nixon, Annalisa Meyer, Melissa Songer, Heather Bacon, Bacon, Don Kohlbauer, JoGayle Howard, Darting, Howard, Ping Ping, Thomas Hildebrandt, Dr, Hildebrandt, Lei Lei, Meyer, Lung Yuan Chih, Lung, James Ayala, . Hildebrandt, Ayala, interjected, Mei Xiang, Ken Cedeno, Tian Tian, Xiang, David Wildt, Mei, Mei Xiang vomited, Qi Ji, Agnes Bun, scrawled, Pierre Comizzoli, Mads Frost Bertelsen, Meng Lan, Su Weizhong Organizations: Zoo Washington, Factories, Chengdu Research Base, Archives San Diego Zoo, The New York Times Chengdu Research Base, China, National Zoo, New York Times, Smithsonian Institution, Times, Pandas, Agence France, Memphis Zoo, Tulane University, Smithsonian, San Diego Zoo, The New York, Smithsonian . Pandas, Zoo, Associated Press, University of Central, Bear Care Group, China Conservation and Research Center, San Diego Union Tribune, Feature, Future Publishing, Getty, U.S . Fish, Wildlife Service, ”, Leibniz Institute for Zoo, Wildlife Research, National Zoo Washington, Institution Archives Chengdu Research Base, Breed, The New York Times, Beijing Zoo, Tsinghua University, Animal Studies, Visitors, New York Times China Conservation and Research Center, Smithsonian National, Associated, Smithsonian’s, and Wildlife Service, National, Fujifilm, Smithsonian Institution Archives, Reuters, Smithsonian Channel, “, Copenhagen Zoo Locations: China, Chengdu, Sichuan, Archives San Diego Zoo California, Washington, Louisiana, Japan, San Diego, San Francisco, Indonesia, Qatar, Al Khor, University of Central Lancashire, England, U.S, San, Fuzhou, United States, Feature China, Sichuan Province, Beijing, Berlin ., Wolong, Taiwan, American, estrus, New York Times China, Europe, Washington ,, Washington , DC, Beijing Zoo Beijing

☆ Giant pandas from China arrive in US on loan to National Zoo
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-15 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

His mother, Bao Bao, was born a celebrity at the National Zoo in 2013 and returned to China four years later. His grandparents, Meixiang and Tian Tian, lived at the zoo for 23 years until their lease ended last year. It went offline last November, when Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their youngest cub Xiao Qi Ji left for China. And for the first time in 23 years, the giant panda exhibit at the National Zoo had become empty. “Our team and legions of fans look forward to welcoming Bao Li and Qing Bao to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.”

Persons: Bao Li, Qing Bao, China’s, Bao Bao, Meixiang, Tian Tian, Tom Booth, ”, Mariel Lally, Lally, Bao Li’s, they’re, ” Lally, doesn’t, “ She’s, Richard Nixon’s, Pat Nixon, Weeks, Ling Ling, Hsing Hsing, Cam, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Evelio Contreras, Qing, Ren Zhijun, Bao, Jin Tao, Brandie Smith, ” Smith, “ Organizations: DC CNN, FedEx, Panda, Washington Dulles Airport, Dulles International, National Zoo, CNN, US, Beijing Zoo, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Washington, Smithsonian, Washington DC Locations: Washington, China, Beijing, China’s, Sichuan, Dujiangyan, Communist China

HONG KONG — A pair of giant pandas began their journey Monday from China to the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, where they will begin a 10-year residence in the nation’s capital, weeks before the presidential election. The pair left for the airport from the China Conservation and Research Center's Dujiangyan Panda Base in the country's southwest Sichuan province, the China Wildlife Conservation Association said in a statement. San Francisco Mayor London Breed has also said that the city’s zoo is preparing to receive its first pair of pandas from China. The impending arrival of the National Zoo’s two new bears was announced in May in a video with first lady Jill Biden. The bears are endemic to China and viewed as a national symbol.

Persons: Bao Li, Qing Bao, ”, “, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xi Jinping, Joe Biden, Yun Chuan, Xin Bao, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, Jill Biden, Qing, Lun Lun, Yang Yang, Ya Lun, Lun, Nixon’s Organizations: China Conservation, Research, China Wildlife Conservation Association, San Diego Zoo, San Francisco Mayor London, San, U.S, World Wildlife Foundation Locations: HONG KONG, China, Washington, United States, Sichuan, U.S, San Diego, Zoo Atlanta, Beijing, Finland

☆ They’re cute, cuddly and coming to America: China’s newest panda diplomats headed for Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-14 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Bao Li and Qing Bao were taken off public display and placed in quarantine on September 13 – a day after Qing Bao turned three years old. Bao Li and Qing Bao spent their last few days in Dujiangyan getting trained for their first long-haul flight. The zoo’s 24-hour Giant Panda Cam has garnered more than 100 million page views since its launch in 2000. “Giant pandas truly represent how great conservation outcomes can be achieved through great partnerships and with public support,” she said. “The international cooperation on giant pandas holds great significance,” the center said, adding that it had clarified such rumors multiple times.

Persons: Bao Li, Qing Bao, China’s, Tom Booth Qing Bao, Tom Booth, Bao, Brandie Smith, ” Smith, “, Bao Bao, Meixiang, Tian Tian, ”, Mariel Lally, “ Bao Li, Tian Tian Junior, Lally, –, Ren Zhijun, ” Ren, Evelio Contreras, CNN Ren, Ren, it’s, ” Lally, “ They’re, Richard Nixon’s, Pat Nixon, Zhou Enlai, Weeks, Ling Ling, Hsing Hsing, Cam, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Xi Jinping, Smith, influencers, Ya, Giant Panda Organizations: China CNN, FedEx Boeing, China Wildlife Conservation Association, CNN, Staff, Washington, Smithsonian, Washington DC, Zoo, National Zoo, US, Beijing Zoo, Memphis, San Diego Zoo, National, Memphis Zoo, China Conservation and Research Center, Giant Locations: Dujiangyan, China, Washington, Sichuan, Communist China, Beijing, San Diego, Atlanta, America, Europe, San Francisco

☆ China leads the patents race for generative AI, with Tencent and Baidu topping the list
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-04 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

TIANJIN, CHINA - JUNE 20: A humanoid robot Xiao Qi is on display during the 2024 World Intelligence Expo at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin) on June 20, 2024 in Tianjin, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)China dominates the global race in generative artificial intelligence patents, filing more than 38,000 patents from 2014 to 2023, a new United Nations report on Thursday showed. Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that allows users to generate content such as text, images, music, audio, and videos. Geographically, China leads with 38,210 inventions, far surpassing the U.S. (6,276), Republic of Korea (4,155), Japan (3,409) and India (1,350). Generative AI patents currently make up 6% of total AI patents in the world, according to the report.

Persons: Xiao Qi Organizations: National Convention, Exhibition Center, Getty Images, United Nations, U.S, UN, Intellectual, Organization Locations: TIANJIN, CHINA, Tianjin, China, Republic of Korea, Japan, India

☆ China ambassador says Australia wine tariff review on track
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

China's review of tariffs on Australian wine is progressing well, Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian said on Monday, but he stopped short of confirming an Australian government claim the dispute would be resolved this month. China's review of tariffs on Australian wine is progressing well, Chinese Ambassador Xiao Qian said on Monday, but he stopped short of confirming an Australian government claim the dispute would be resolved this month. "Currently, Chinese authorities are reviewing and investigating our tariffs on Australian wine and things are moving on the right track, in the right direction," Xiao told the Australian Financial Review Business Summit. A day earlier, Australia's trade minister said China would complete its review into the years-long wine tariffs by the end of March. The standoff over China's tariffs of up to 218% on Australian wine remains unresolved.

Persons: Helen, Joey, Xiao Qian, Xiao Organizations: Australian Financial, Business, Australian, World Trade Organization Locations: Shiraz, Yarra, Greater Melbourne, Australia, China, Beijing

☆ Xi Jinping Revives Hopes for Pandas’ Return to the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( James T. Areddy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Xiao Qi Ji, the 3-year-old male giant panda born at the National Zoo in Washington, was flown to China earlier this month along with his parents. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesChinese leader Xi Jinping ’s suggestion that China would send new pandas to the U.S. was a minor gesture in an otherwise bitter rivalry but symbolic of attempts by both governments to find areas to cooperate. It was also a reminder of how pandas have long occupied a special place in U.S.-China diplomacy.

Persons: Xiao Qi Ji, Anna Moneymaker, Xi Jinping Organizations: National Zoo, Getty Images Locations: Washington, China

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

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

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

☆ Australia's Albanese to highlight trade on China visit as ties warm
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A quarter of Australia's export earnings come from China, more than the next three trade partners, the United States, South Korea and Japan combined, Albanese said on Tuesday. "Trade as an anchor provides stability and certainty to allow greater engagement while we navigate uncertain currents and obstacles that lie beneath," said Australia China Business Council president David Olsson. Chairman of the Business Council of Australia's global engagement committee, Warwick Smith, said Albanese would highlight the complementary nature of bilateral trade in a speech on Sunday to 500 business people. DIFFICULT TOPICSChina has lauded the visit's timing, on the 50th anniversary of the first to China by an Australian leader, then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Although the Albanese government has put dialogue at the centre of its approach to China, most policy remains the same, he said.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Xi Jinping, Richard Marles, David Olsson, Li Qiang, Fortescue, " Olsson, Warwick Smith, Gough Whitlam, Penny Wong, Xiao Qian, Richard Maude, Thomas, Maude, Kirsty Needham, Robert Birsel Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia China Business, Fortescue Metals, Rio Tinto, BHP, Business Council, Asia Society Australia, America, Thomson Locations: China, Shanghai, South, Beijing, Australia, United States, Canberra, Britain, Washington, South Korea, Japan, Rio, CIIE, Philippines, Taiwan

☆ How might one get pandas to mate? Try leg workouts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji, will leave their enclosure in DC next year. During their time at the National Zoo, staff tried to get Mei Xiang and Tian Tian to mate. One of the exercises was to get Tian Tian to stand as tall as he could to work out his legs, according to the newspaper. For Mei Xiang, curators had her lie on a log to help her prepare for when Tian Tian approached her. AdvertisementAdvertisementSince her time in America, Mei Xiang has given birth to four surviving cubs with Tian Tian.

Persons: Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Xiang, Tian, —, We're, we're, Brandi Smith, Stefani Reynolds, Pierre Comizzoli Organizations: National Zoo, Service, Washington Post, Post, Zoo, Panda Cooperative Research, National, Getty, FedEx Locations: China, Washington, America

WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Zoo's three celebrity giant pandas will be heading home a little earlier than expected. Zoo officials told The Associated Press on Thursday that adult bears Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji will be returning to China sometime in mid-November. The zoo’s exchange agreement with the Chinese government, originally brokered by President Richard Nixon 50 years ago, expires Dec. 7. The San Diego zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year. The pandas return to China when they reach old age, and any cubs born in the United States are sent to China around age 3 or 4.

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Richard Nixon, Annalisa Meyer Organizations: WASHINGTON, Associated Press, U.S, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Zoo, Atlanta Zoo Locations: China, Beijing, San Diego, Memphis , Tennessee, America, United States

☆ Israel-Hamas war fuels debate and nationalist sentiment on Chinese social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The lack of condemnation of Hamas by Chinese officials gives it support,” she said. As an increasing number of China watchers and Israeli scholars pointed out the rise in antisemitic sentiment in China, some Chinese diplomats appeared to have taken note. The Israeli diplomatic outpost has been active on Chinese social media, Lavi, from the Diane & Guilford Glazer Israel-China Policy Center told CNN. China bans foreign social media platforms and censors comments deemed marginally sensitive by the Chinese Communist Party. “Many comments also highlight China’s peace-making efforts and draw parallels between the suffering of the Palestinian people and China’s own historical experiences with colonization.”

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, Yuval Waks, ” Waks, Waks, “, Beijing’s, Wang Yi, Israel, Antonio Guterres, Israel “, Adolf Hitler, Xiao Qiang, ”, Xiao, Lavi, Diane, Guilford Glazer, Hua Chunying, ’ “, Mohammed Al, Masri, Noa Argamani, ” Wendy Zhou, Mao, Zhou Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Palestinian, Hamas, Weibo, Embassy, United Nations, UN, School of Information, University of California, China Policy Center, Israeli Embassy, Diane, CNN, Shifa, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Reuters, Georgia State University, Chinese Communist Party, Israel, Palestine, Palestinian Authority Locations: China, Hong Kong, Israel, Gaza, Beijing, Israeli, Weibo, United States, University of California Berkeley, Guilford Glazer Israel, Shanghai, Al, Ahli, Gaza City

☆ US National Zoo Bids Farewell to Pandas as Government Shutdown Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - Washington's National Zoo is honoring its three giant pandas with nine days of events ahead of their return to China but stormy weather and a looming U.S. government shutdown have put something of a damper on the festivities. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The zoo, operated by the Smithsonian Institute, receives federal funding, and would be forced to close to the public during a government shutdown, according to its website. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Reuters, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association Locations: China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ US National Zoo bids farewell to pandas as government shutdown looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Visitors take photos of giant panda Mei Xiang eating bamboo during the reopening morning of Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, U.S., May 21, 2021. Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji are scheduled to be returned in early December. The shutdown would not disrupt animal care, but the zoo's popular live "Panda Cam" would go dark. Mei Xiang, 25, and Tian Tian, 26, came to the zoo in 2000 under a cooperative research and breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. The zoo did not say whether it has any immediate plans to acquire more giant pandas, but said on its website that it "hopes to continue this work in the future."

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, Xiao Qi Ji, Xiang, Zhou Enlai, Richard Nixon's, Julia Harte, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, Embassy, Smithsonian Institute, China Wildlife Conservation Association, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, China, U.S, Washington, United States

☆ Tian Tian: Giant panda celebrates last birthday in DC zoo
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Piper Hudspeth Blackburn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The 26-year-old bear, Tian Tian, along with two other pandas in the zoo, are slated to leave by December 7. On Sunday, Tian Tian received a special “fruitsicle” cake made with fruits and vegetables with a “frosting” of sweet potatoes, mashed carrots and honey for his birthday, the museum said. The National Zoo’s Giant Panda Program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian first arrived at the zoo in the early 2000s and were originally supposed to stay for 10 years. According to the National Zoo, giant pandas have an estimated lifespan of about 15-20 years in the wild and about 30 years in human care.

Persons: Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, Xiao Qi Ji, Mei Organizations: Washington CNN, Conservation Biology Institute, China Wildlife and Conservation Association, Panda Program, National Zoo Locations: United States, China

☆ Tourists aren't going back to China – and that's another problem for its stuttering economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Just 52,000 tourists on trips organized by travel agents visited China in the first quarter, per the WSJ. A struggling tourism sector will not help China's economy shake off its slowdown. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. "The number of visitors from Europe, America, Japan and Korea are all dropping, substantially," said Xiao Qianhui, a director of the China Tourism Association, in May. But the lack of international appetite for visiting China will not do anything to boost the economy.

Persons: China's, Xiao Qianhui Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Tourism Alliance, Department, China Tourism Association, Bloomberg Locations: China, Wall, Silicon, Europe, America, Japan, Korea, May, Thailand, Vietnam, Beijing

☆ A desperate property developer in China said it would give a gold bar to anyone who buys a home it builds. Homebuyers say they're still waiting.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Chinese property developer is offering gold bars to buyers in a desperate bid to boost home sales. According to The Guardian and local media outlets, the property developer in question is Huafa Group, which is based in Hangzhou, a city in eastern China. Disgruntled buyers are raging over the gold barsHowever, some buyers have been kept waiting for the promised gold after purchasing a flat. A staff member at Huafa told Insider the Huafa Hui Tianfu development had "nothing to do" with them. Flashy giveaways are commonplace in China's property marketThis is not the first time Chinese property developers have dangled freebies to entice homebuyers.

Persons: —, they've, monthslong, Hui Tianfu, China's, Zhu, Xian, Shao, Xiao Qiang, homebuyers Organizations: Service, Guardian, Weibo, China's Twitter, Huafu Group, Jiemian, Huafa, Qianjiang Evening, Estate Development Corporation, China Index Academy, Bloomberg, Wall Street Locations: Hangzhou, China, Hangzhou Yuejia

☆ Australia says it's 'troubled' by delays in writer's espionage trial verdict in China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A verdict in the espionage trial of Australian writer Yang Hengjun, detained by China since his arrest there four years ago, has been delayed until April, the seventh such delay, his supporters said on Thursday. Pro-democracy blogger Yang is an Australian citizen born in China who was working in New York before his arrest at Guangzhou airport in 2019, coinciding with deteriorating relations between Australia and China. A Beijing court heard Yang's trial in secret in May 2021 and the case against him has never been publicly disclosed. "The Australian government is deeply troubled by the ongoing delays in his case. A verdict in Yang's trial has been delayed by the court seven times, and his lawyer was told the deadline had been extended a further three months to April, his supporters told Reuters.

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