China News Service, Beijing, August 18th, title: From "warm sheep" to "panda envoy" which animals bear witness to the love and justice of China's diplomacy?
China News Agency reporter Zhang Su
In February of this year, during his visit to China, Mongolian President Battulga presented a certificate for Mongolia to present 30,000 sheep to China. Recently, Mongolia has officially launched the process and plans to deliver mutton to China in September. As soon as the news came out, the "food for the people" could not sit still, thinking about roast leg of lamb and mutton in the message area of hot search terms such as "Why Mongolia donated 30,000 sheep" , Lamb miscellaneous soup, lamb belly...
Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia Chai Wenrui introduced the progress of donating sheep on a program on the evening of the 17th. He said that Mongolian friends believe that sheep are warm in nature, which means sincerity and enthusiasm, and they are the first choice for gifts. After the President of Mongolia announced the donation of sheep to China, Mongolian people from all walks of life responded enthusiastically and donated freely. This reflects the deep friendship of the Mongolian people to the Chinese people. The Mongolian side will dedicate these mutton to the people of Hubei and Wuhan who have shown bravery in the fight against the epidemic.
Obviously, 30,000 sheep have true feelings that transcend material value. Chen Fengying, a researcher at the China Institute of Modern International Relations, said that Mongolia is a major animal husbandry country. When neighboring countries are in trouble, they use this most sincere and simple way to express their support, which can be described as seeing the truth in times of crisis. Liu Qing, director of the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies of the China Institute of International Studies, said that China and Mongolia are neighbors that cannot be moved. During the epidemic, the neighbors visited and brought real support, reflecting the friendship of mutual help and common destiny.
Many netizens referred to this gift from a neighbor as a "warm sheep", believing that this is a strong proof that China's anti-epidemic diplomacy this year is sentimental, meaningful and vivid. Coincidentally, the "national treasure" giant panda also witnessed the love and justice of China's diplomacy in this special period.
On August 14, the Ovihanz Zoo in the Netherlands held a 100-day celebration and naming ceremony for the cubs of giant pandas "Wu Wen" and "Xingya" living in the Netherlands. The baby panda is named "Van Star". The word "Van" is taken from the Dutch painter Van Gogh, which describes the lush vegetation and implies vitality; the word "Star" is taken from the panda father "Xingya", which represents hope and reminds people Van Gogh's masterpiece "Star Moon Night". The Dutch side stated that the giant panda’s residence in the Netherlands shows that China attaches great importance to the friendship between the two countries and the relationship between the two countries; the “Vatican Star” born at a special moment brings hope to the Dutch and Chinese people in the epidemic and also contributes to the protection of world biodiversity. Important contribution.
When answering questions at a regular press conference on the 17th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that the baby panda was born during the new crown pneumonia epidemic, which not only brought hope and joy to the people of the two countries in the epidemic, but also witnessed the cooperation between the two countries to fight the epidemic. Friendly friendship. He also wished the "Vatican Star" continue to thrive, and looked forward to it, like Mom and Dad, as a "little cute" that enhances the communication between the two peoples and a "little ambassador" that promotes the continuous development of Sino-Dutch friendship.
In fact, China's "panda diplomacy" can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty. The black and white, naive "panda envoy" has long become a symbol of friendship, peace and harmony. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, from the “Ping Ping” and “Moraine” presented to the Soviet government and people in the form of “national gifts” to the “Lingling”, “Xingxing” and “Panda Diplomacy” presented to the US by China after President Nixon’s visit to China. "Widely acclaimed. In view of the deterioration of the ecological environment of giant pandas, the number of giant pandas has decreased sharply. As of October 2017, China has established long-term cooperative research relationships on giant pandas with 14 zoos in 12 countries around the world. A total of 40 Chinese giant pandas live overseas.
In addition to the most iconic giant pandas, Siberian tigers and crested ibis have also assumed special missions on Chinese diplomatic occasions. Correspondingly, Asian elephants from Vietnam, Malay bears from Burma, baboons from Germany, BMWs from Turkmenistan, and lions from Zimbabwe came to China as "friendship messengers".
Zhou Zunnan, former director of the Center for European Studies of the China Foreign Affairs University, said that sending animals to each other is a way to maintain friendship between countries. “Usually, they choose rare and precious animals that are not seen in other countries to show their sincerity.” According to Chen Xuefei, director of the Public Diplomacy Research Center of China Foreign Affairs University, animal-mediated gift diplomacy has played a greater role in public diplomacy because it is directly aimed at the public. (Finish)