A new round of China-U.S. giant panda cooperation will help protect endangered species, advance global biodiversity conservation, and deepen friendship between the peoples of the two countries, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing on Monday.
Guo's remarks came after Chinese giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang made their public debut on Friday at Zoo Atlanta in Georgia, the U.S., following more than a month in quarantine.
During his state visit to the United States on September 24, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the pair would soon arrive at Zoo Atlanta, a move warmly welcomed by all sectors of American society.
"On September 27 local time, the two pandas arrived in Atlanta. We are happy to see that the duo have recently made their public debut, bringing great joy to the local people and strengthening the bonds of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples," Guo said.
"The giant panda is China’s national treasure and an envoy of friendship. To ensure the pair’s health and safety as well as smooth journey and adaptation to the new environment, thorough preparations have been made in strict accordance with the requirements and technical standards for international giant panda conservation cooperation. We believe this new panda cooperation will benefit the protection of giant pandas and other endangered species, global biodiversity conservation, and people-to-people friendship between China and the U.S.," he said.
The two pandas are expected to stay at the zoo for 10 years.
China and Zoo Atlanta have collaborated on giant panda conservation research for more than two decades, including the birth of seven giant panda cubs in five litters.
China-U.S. panda cooperation to advance biodiversity conservation: spokesman
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and China Global Television Network (CGTN) have hosted a side event on green transition at the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Antalya, Türkiye.
Titled "Global Open Class: Green Transition in Action" and held at the China Pavilion, the event brought together experts for a roundtable discussion on global climate action.
The roundtable explored how technology, leadership and communication can accelerate the green transition, and how China's experience can be adapted to the needs of different countries.
The event featured the release of four practical guides drawing on Chinese sustainable development cases and the launch of two global capacity-development initiatives. The guides addressed smart mobility, rural circular economies, climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction, among other areas.
Participants also watched the trailer for CGTN's new documentary film Path to Zero, which explores how China is changing the way it powers daily life, how its industries operate and how communities care for the places they call home.
He Guojun, director of the Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), said that reliable data are essential for effective environmental action.
"First, how to address the information problem, where you need basically a monitoring network that covers almost everything, so that you have air quality monitoring, water quality monitoring, soil quality monitoring, and they have to cover all the sectors. Having that information is fundamental," said He.
Michael Adalla, senior program officer of UNITAR's Division for Prosperity, said the "Global Open Class: Green Transition in Action" side event created a space to share expertise and insights.
"The open classroom that we have done today (Nov 9), the global open classroom, has been very well received as part of sharing of ideas, sharing of expertise, sharing insights. And this is a basis of what we could provide with the developing countries," said Adalla.
Adalla also stressed that a key focus must be human capital.
"It's important to build skills at the individual level, build skills at the capacity level. The most sustainable investment is to empower people to bring knowledge into action," said Adalla.
Special event on green transition held at COP31
