Ambassador Xie Feng interviewed by U.S. media on giant pandas' arrival

On August 7, 2024, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng gave an interview to Monica Dean from NBC7 San Diego on giant pandas’ return to California. The interview went on air on NBC7 on August 8. The transcript is as follows:

Monica Dean: Why is China sending giant pandas to other countries? How do you see “panda diplomacy”?

Xie Feng: Everyone loves pandas. They are our friends, and also rare animals we need to care for. In Chinese culture, we believe sharing joy with others makes one even merrier. The Chinese people are happy to share with people of other countries our love for pandas, and work together to protect these adorable creatures.

China has conducted panda cooperation and exchanges with 26 institutions in 20 countries, including the U.S. Thanks to the unremitting efforts of generations of Chinese panda conservationists and international cooperation on panda protection, the species has been downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Of course, pandas are also envoys of friendship between Chinese and American peoples. Our panda stories started with the ice-breaking trip by President Nixon in 1972, seven years earlier than the establishment of diplomatic ties. Pandas have brought our hearts closer, and made their unique contribution to China-U.S. relations.

Monica Dean: The China-U.S. relationship has encountered some challenges in recent years. Why has China chosen the San Diego Zoo as the destination for new giant pandas?

Xie Feng: This is inseparable from the goodwill of California, the land of sunshine, and San Diego’s special bond with pandas.

California is a pacesetter for friendly relations between China and the U.S. China is California’s top trading partner and No.1 market for overseas visitors. Governor Newsom, as the first U.S. governor to visit China after the pandemic, has played an important role in enhancing subnational exchanges and stabilizing China-U.S. relations.

The San Diego Zoo is the first U.S. institution to carry out cooperation on panda conservation with China. When the first panda pair Bai Yun and Shi Shi arrived in 1996, that day was said to be “the Super Bowl, World Series, and Academy Awards rolled into one”. During our 28 years of cooperation, we jointly developed a panda milk formula, and helped to increase survival rates for panda cubs from around 10% to over 90%. Bai Yun gave birth to six cubs at the zoo, more than any other pandas living outside China. Now, five years after she returned to her homeland, her grandson Yun Chuan, together with Xin Bao, has returned to San Diego. This is the latest chapter in the panda story and friendship between the city and China.

I know how much Californians long for having giant pandas back. The state government, the government of San Diego and the San Diego Zoo have all expressed their wish to continue panda cooperation with China many times. Earlier this year, two little panda fans from California wrote several letters to me, proposing giving China grizzly bears to get pandas.

China has attached great importance to all these. Last November, President Xi Jinping announced in San Francisco that China is ready to continue cooperation with the U.S. 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. We always keep our promise. In less than one year, we have brought Yun Chuan and Xin Bao here, who will meet the people of San Diego, California and the U.S. very soon.

Monica Dean: The arrival of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao in San Diego has spurred a new round of “pandamonium”. Why do you think pandas are so popular?

Xie Feng: Pandas are huge, but they are also disarmingly round, cuddly and gentle. They have sharp teeth, but they are also vegetarians with a special fondness for bamboo, and will never attack or threaten others when unprovoked. In them, black and white merge in harmony. Wherever they are, they can easily settle in and become friends with the local people.

From Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, you can also feel the warm feelings the Chinese people have for Americans. The name of Yun Chuan literally means mountains shrouded in clouds, which is as poetic as a Chinese ink wash painting. California is known as the “Golden State”. “Xin”, the first character in the name of Xin Bao, is made up of three “jin”, the character for gold. Her name means a treasure of prosperity and abundance, and we hope she will bring you good luck.

Pandas are also witnesses of happy moments for numerous American families, and hold a special place in the childhood memories of many Americans. A U.S. netizen once left a comment on my X, recalling how her parents took her to see the pandas at the zoo when she was young, and now, she is also taking her 5-year-old kid to see them. During the pandemic, pandas brought peace, joy and hope to many. A panda a day keeps the sorrow away!

Monica Dean: What does the arrival of Yun Chuan and Xin Bao mean for China-U.S. relations?

Xie Feng: As pandas started to return to China with the end of their loan agreements from last year, many American friends were worried whether the US would have no pandas left for the first time since 1972 due to the current political climate. After it was announced that Yun Chuan and Xin Bao would come to San Diego, a Californian friend joyfully said to me, “The pandas will surely bring peace and goodwill between China and the U.S.!” The arrival of the pair as we celebrate the 45th anniversary of our diplomatic ties has sent a clear and important message: China-U.S. cooperation on panda conservation will not cease, our people-to-people exchanges and subnational cooperation will not stop, and once opened, the door of China-US friendship will not be shut again.

In pandas, we see the Chinese values of harmony, openness, inclusiveness and shared prosperity. They reflect our two peoples’ aspiration for friendship and exchanges, and also the world’s longing for peace and cooperation. I encourage our American friends to care for China-U.S. relations just as you care for pandas, cherish the friendship between our two peoples just as you cherish pandas, and protect world peace just as you protect pandas.  

Monica Dean: What inspirations can giant panda conservation offer for the protection of rare animals globally?

Xie Feng: Giant panda protection is a shining example of China’s ecological conservation, and also a success story of global wildlife protection. Thanks to the efforts of generations of Chinese panda conservationists and international cooperation on panda protection, the population of wild giant pandas has increased from around 1,100 in the 1980s to nearly 1,900 today. Their habitats keep expanding, the living environment keeps improving, and the species has been downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable”, marking substantive progress in China’s ecological conservation. The logo of the World Wildlife Fund is exactly a panda. This reflects both people’s love for pandas around the world, and international recognition of China’s efforts to protect them.

China is now developing a system of protected areas with national parks as the mainstay, continuing to improve ecosystem governance, and promoting harmony between man and nature. We will do our best to further downgrade pandas and other rare wild animals around the world from “endangered” to “vulnerable” and finally to “unthreatened”.

Let’s together care for the cute pandas, get to know a beautiful China, and build a world of harmony.  

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