First panda cub born in Indonesia draws crowds

China

First panda cub born in Indonesia draws crowds

2026-06-10 17:41 Last Updated At：21:27

The first giant panda cub born in Indonesia, Rio, appeared healthy alongside his mother Hu Chun on Tuesday at Taman Safari Indonesia in Bogor, West Java, attracting crowds of visitors and media.

Zoo officials said that since Rio's birth, the safari park's medical and life sciences team has provided round‑the‑clock monitoring in close cooperation with experts from China's giant panda conservation center. They reported the cub is in good health, developing normally, and meeting all growth milestones.

Born in November 2025, Rio is the cub of "Cai Tao" and " Hu Chun," the giant pandas residing in Indonesia. He was named "Satrio Wiratama" by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, with "Rio" as his nickname.

As the first giant panda cub ever born in Indonesia, Rio's arrival and growth mark a real success in China-Indonesia panda conservation cooperation, and have also given both countries valuable experience to deepen their work together on wildlife and biodiversity protection.

"We feel the collaboration is very strong, not only in the management and health of giant panda, but also in culture and international collaboration," said Bongot Huaso Mulia, vice director of Life Sciences at Taman Safari Indonesia.

Local visitors are excited to see Rio, who is not only a symbol of China-Indonesia wildlife cooperation, but also a bridge bringing the two peoples closer.

"We just saw Rio and we're really excited. I hope Rio grows up healthy, and I hope the Taman Safari Indonesia will welcome more giant panda cubs in the future," said Aryo, a visitor from Indonesia.

"I hope Indonesia and China will keep strengthening their cooperation in this area, And I hope Indonesia will stay committed to conservation, so our joint efforts can deliver more results. I've never been to China, but I'd love to go there one day," said Livia, another visitor.

China records ten consecutive quarters of trade growth with ASEAN

China has recorded ten consecutive quarters of growth in imports and exports with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the data for the second quarter of this year from the General Administration of Customs GAC) showed on Tuesday.

China's trade with ASEAN reached 4.34 trillion yuan (about 640 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, marking an 18.2-percent increase compared to the same period of last year, according to GAC.

"In the first half of this year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN stood at 4.34 trillion yuan, up 18.2 percent year on year on. Of this total, imports and exports in the second quarter accounted for 2.37 trillion yuan which represented a year-on-year growth of 20.2 percent and marking the 10th consecutive quarter of growth.," said Lyu Daliang, a spokesman for the customs bureau, at a press briefing.

"China and ASEAN have continuously strengthened infrastructure connectivity. In the first half of the year, China's imports and exports with ASEAN via the new western land-sea corridor grew by 18.2 percent, with railway and highway transport increasing by 24.7 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively," Lyu said.

Established in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor-Leste.