ChinaToday
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These giant animals remind us that China is on the up, while Britain is in panda mode consuming an awful lot, but not going anywhere.
It was Ted Heath who first enjoyed the fruits of panda diplomacy: after a visit to China in 1974, a pair of the bears were delivered to London Zoo. Chia Chia and Ching Ching were dearly loved by visitors, but they didnt love each other so remained cubless to the end. Fingers crossed, our new arrivals are a better match. Tian Tian and Yang Guang (Sweetie and Ray of Sunshine) are expected in Edinburgh before Christmas. The good news is that Tian Tian has produced offspring before; the bad news is that when our correspondent went to meet her in China, she seemed especially indolent, sitting still and chewing on bamboo (as she is wont to do for 14 hours a day) throughout the encounter.
Mind you, the pandas may find their hosts strangely familiar. In economic terms, at least, we British are very much in panda mode consuming an awful lot, but not really going anywhere. These giant animals will remind us that China, meanwhile, is on the up; and perhaps thats the point of the modern version of panda diplomacy. Based on their predecessors experience, Tian Tian and Yang Guang should prepare themselves for fame: tens of thousands of visitors will ogle them, and online, where a YouTube video called Baby Panda Sneezing has been viewed tens of millions of times, they will be under even greater scrutiny. But we will, of course, make them welcome, or risk a diplomatic incident.
Panda diplomacy - Telegraph
It was Ted Heath who first enjoyed the fruits of panda diplomacy: after a visit to China in 1974, a pair of the bears were delivered to London Zoo. Chia Chia and Ching Ching were dearly loved by visitors, but they didnt love each other so remained cubless to the end. Fingers crossed, our new arrivals are a better match. Tian Tian and Yang Guang (Sweetie and Ray of Sunshine) are expected in Edinburgh before Christmas. The good news is that Tian Tian has produced offspring before; the bad news is that when our correspondent went to meet her in China, she seemed especially indolent, sitting still and chewing on bamboo (as she is wont to do for 14 hours a day) throughout the encounter.
Mind you, the pandas may find their hosts strangely familiar. In economic terms, at least, we British are very much in panda mode consuming an awful lot, but not really going anywhere. These giant animals will remind us that China, meanwhile, is on the up; and perhaps thats the point of the modern version of panda diplomacy. Based on their predecessors experience, Tian Tian and Yang Guang should prepare themselves for fame: tens of thousands of visitors will ogle them, and online, where a YouTube video called Baby Panda Sneezing has been viewed tens of millions of times, they will be under even greater scrutiny. But we will, of course, make them welcome, or risk a diplomatic incident.
Panda diplomacy - Telegraph
