On April 19, the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the San Francisco Zoo signed a Letter of Intent for International Conservation Cooperation on Giant Pandas in Beijing. The two sides agreed to maintain close communication, support each other, actively make preliminary preparations in accordance with the requirements and technical standards for international conservation cooperation of giant pandas, and promote the formal signing of the cooperation agreement as soon as possible, so as to ensure that a pair of giant pandas will arrive in San Francisco by 2025.
Prior to this (April 15), San Francisco Mayor Breed revealed during a visit to Shenzhen that the San Francisco Zoo was ready to welcome giant pandas.
San Francisco Zoo for decades
For the first time, giant pandas will be welcomed
"San Francisco is extremely excited that we will welcome giant pandas to the San Francisco Zoo," said Breed. San Francisco is an international tourist destination and gateway to the Asia-Pacific region – and the arrival of giant pandas in San Francisco will strengthen our already deep cultural ties [between the United States and China]." ”
The last time the city welcomed giant pandas was in 1984-1985, when two giant pandas, Yongyong and Yingxin, were loaned to the San Francisco Zoo for temporary displays, attracting four times the zoo's average visitor capacity.
It is understood that the timeline for the arrival of the giant pandas will be determined after the completion of the giant panda enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo. This weekend, engineers from the Beijing Zoo will travel to San Francisco to meet with San Francisco Zoo engineers to collaborate on giant panda fencing and more.
In May, China's National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the China Wildlife Conservation Association will send a delegation from Beijing to San Francisco to further discuss the timetable, next steps and expansion of the giant panda habitat.
San Francisco Mayor Breed (left) and China Wildlife Conservation Association Secretary-General Wu Minglu attend the signing ceremony on April 19, 2024. Source: China's Diplomatic Think Tank in the New Era
Giant pandas are not only "national treasures"
It is also a messenger and bridge of friendship
On April 19, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian held a regular press conference.
A reporter asked if the China Wildlife Conservation Association and the San Francisco Zoo signed the "Letter of Intent for International Cooperation in the International Conservation of Giant Pandas".
Lin Jian pointed out that the giant panda is not only a "national treasure" of China, but also welcomed and loved by people all over the world, and is a messenger and bridge of friendship. Since the 90s of the 20th century, with the joint efforts of Chinese and American researchers, 17 giant panda cubs have been successfully bred, making positive contributions to the conservation and breeding of giant pandas. At the same time, the two sides have jointly carried out research on giant panda field protection, breeding and breeding, disease prevention and control, disease treatment, etc., jointly overcome a series of technical problems, promoted scientific and technological exchanges and capacity building in the field of giant panda and other endangered wild animals and plants, and played a positive role in improving the overall level of giant panda conservation, promoting people-to-people ties between the two countries, and enhancing people-to-people friendship.
Visiting delegation of the Mayor of San Francisco, USA
Review of the visit
On April 15, the Mayor of San Francisco and his delegation arrived in Shenzhen to meet and exchange views with the Shenzhen business community. As soon as Breed got out of the car, she was interviewed by a reporter from Shenzhen Satellite TV & One Shenzhen client, and she said: "I love all the skyscrapers here, and we hope that there will be more buildings like this in San Francisco." At the same time, we also hope to meet with the business community and develop more relationships. ”
During the visit to Shenzhen, the delegation of the Mayor of San Francisco held a symposium with Shenzhen entrepreneurs, mainly focusing on artificial intelligence, drones and other fields. Breed also took photos with U.S. business organizations, corporations and related Shenzhen companies.
In a joint media interview, Breed talked about the future cooperation between the San Francisco Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. She said that the two sides can strengthen further exchanges and learn from each other.