The joint research project on giant panda conservation between China and the United States is expected to make positive contributions to endangered species protection and deepen friendship between the two peoples, Foreign Ministry spokesman Li Jian said at a press breifing in Beijing on Tuesday.
Lin made the remarks in response to a press query about the China Wildlife Conservation Association's announcement on Saturday that a pair of giant pandas will be sent to the San Diego Zoo in the United States for a 10-year international giant panda protection cooperation project.
Yun Chuan, male, and Xin Bao, female, from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda have been selected and will be accompanied by experienced keepers and veterinarians to the United States.
"According to the agreement on giant panda conservation cooperation and research signed between China and the United States in February this year, giant pandas Yun Chuan and Xin Bao of the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda have been selected and will go to the San Diego Zoo in the United States. Chinese and American experts have carried out many rounds of on-site assessment exchanges and will actively make preparations in accordance with the requirements and technical standards for international cooperation on giant panda conservation to fully guarantee the health and safety of giant pandas on their travel to and stay in the United States," said Lin.
He said the San Diego Zoo is the first institution in the United States to conduct cooperation and research on giant pandas with China and the two sides have achieved fruitful results in the protection, breeding, and disease control of giant pandas, with a total of six cubs delivered in six litters.
"We believe that with the China-U.S. cooperation and research project on giant panda conservation deepening, the cooperation and research capabilities in the field of endangered species and biodiversity conservation will be further improved, which will make positive contributions to endangered species preservation and promoting friendship between the Chinese and American people," Lin said.
Panda project expected to deepen China-US friendship: spokesman
Tanzania's Minister for Foreign Affairs, January Yusuf Makamba, praised the robust and evolving partnership between Tanzania and China during an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), reflecting on the historical principles guiding China-Africa relations and outlining key cooperative projects.
Tanzania was the first African country that Chinese President Xi Jinping visited after assuming the presidency in 2013.
During that visit, President Xi introduced the principles of sincerity, real results, amity, and good faith for China's Africa policy. These principles have since become the foundation of China's cooperation with developing countries.
Makamba emphasized the significance of these principles in the interview on Sunday, the day before he wrapped up a five-day official visit to China at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He praised these principles for their depth and relevance to Africa's historical context.
"These principles are very key, because we in Africa are very sensitive to partnerships. Because of our history, we have a glorious history as a continent, but also we have a history of being colonized and being exploited. The principles that President Xi elaborated in Dar es Salaam in 2013, that underpin the relation between China and Africa, are very good because they take into consideration our history. So, over the past 10 years, since these principles were established, we've seen the transformation of China-Africa relations in a positive way," said Makamba.
Makamba also highlighted the tangible benefits of China's projects in Africa.
"The projects that China wants to do in Africa are beneficial to us. The interaction between China, and the engagement between China and Africa, is one that is based on mutual respect and mutual benefit as well. So the Dar es Salaam Consensus comes up with a new blueprint for global order; the international order that is based on openness, transparency, mutual respect, equity, fairness. These are the things that we've always wanted, and we hope that all Africans, together with China and other international partners, will coalesce around the Dar es Salaam Consensus as a new way to organize the global community," he added.
Reflecting on specific cooperative ventures, Makamba spoke about the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority, popularly known as TAZARA, a bi-national railway linking the Southern Africa Regional transport network to Eastern Africa's seaport of Dar es Salaam, offering both freight and passenger transportation services between and within Tanzania and Zambia.
"TAZARA is of tremendous symbolic significance to us, and it's an emotional project for Tanzanians, Zambians, and of course, Chinese. This one was immediately post-independence, so it was designed to help the two countries develop their economies. Since then, it has contributed immensely towards building that corridor for exports and import of products from overseas. And China's contribution in that respect has been phenomenal," Makamba explained.
Tanzania's foreign minister highlights strong ties with China
