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Showing posts with label Sichuan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sichuan. Show all posts

Sunday 17 June 2012

A boost for pandas diplomacy

The panda loan from China is more than just a visit by two cuddly animals — its significance goes beyond that as far as diplomatic and economic relations are concerned.

PUBLIC excitement has risen since Monday’s announcement that Malaysia will host a pair of giant panda cubs from China for 10 years.

It’s a big deal. You cannot put a value to this because the Chinese Government does not simply send off their pandas to zoos around the world.

The universally loved pandas are regarded as national treasures and certainly deserve to be given the royal treatment.

Taking a snooze: A giant panda resting on a tree stump in a giant panda research centre in Wolong, China’s Sichuan province. The universally loved pandas are regarded as national treasures. — Reuters
 
On Friday, an agreement was signed by the China Wildlife Conservation Association and Malaysia’s Wildlife and National Parks Department. It is certainly a feather in the cap because the panda loan request was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao during his visit to Nanning in April.

Besides Malaysia, only eight other countries have reportedly been given the honour of hosting these giant pandas, including Thailand and Singapore. In the case of Malaysia, the loan is to mark our 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties with China.

Singapore’s panda pair of Kai Kai and Jia Jia are due to arrive in September, about six months later than the originally planned date.

Their new home is River Safari in Mandai, which is slated to be open by the year’s end. It has been reported that the pandas will be placed in a 1,500 sq metre enclosure that will cost Singapore S$8.5mil (RM20.9mil).

The enclosure, which includes an outdoor area, a walkway that allows visitors to view the pandas up close and an air-conditioned exhibit area, will be ready by the end of this month.

Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) chairman Claire Chiang was quoted as saying that the environment had to be at its best when the pandas arrived.

“The pandas are a precious gift from the state, so we are exercising the highest level of prudence and a heightened sense of responsibility,” she said.

When the panda loan to Singapore was first announced, a television crew was sent to Sichuan Province for a sneak preview of the pandas at the Bifengxia base.

The authorities went on a public relations campaign to boast of its “eco-friendly” food for the two pandas, pointing out that a special bamboo plantation covering 8,000 sq metres had been created to grow bamboo for the endangered animals.

In Thailand, Chiangmai Zoo has been home to panda couple Lin Hui and Xuang Xuang, on loan from China since 2003. The zoo has been really lucky because Lin Hui gave birth to her first baby in May 2009.

The panda birth created such a global sensation that visitors waited in long queues just to catch a glimpse of baby Lin Ping through closed circuit television during its first three months.

Shortly after the birth, The Nation newspaper quoted zoo director Thanapat Pongamorn as saying that the zoo had clinched a deal with cable television True to broadcast the life of Lin Ping and other animals at the zoo for two years.

At the time of the report, Lin Ping had already raked in 10 million baht (RM1mil) for the zoo, with half of the zoo’s daily income of 100,000 to 200,000 baht (RM10,000 to RM20,000) coming from tickets for the panda section.

For Singapore and Thailand, the authorities and the public wasted no time in exploring the numerous opportunities available from the loan of the pandas instead of engaging in time-consuming unproductive debate.

That aside, it is important for us to note that diplomatic ties between Malaysia and China are at its peak today. According to reports, bilateral trade volume is set to hit US101bil (RM319bil) this year, after reaching US$91bil (RM287bil) in 2011.

We are also reportedly the third country in Asia to hit this milestone after Japan and South Korea. Malaysia benefited from a surplus of US$30bil (RM95bil) last year, with IT products making up 40% of bilateral trade and palm oil being the biggest commodity export to China.

Relations with China received a further boost when both sides launched the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park. There is already talk of setting up an economic and trade cooperation zone in Malaysia.

The panda loan is more than just a visit by two cuddly animals – its significance goes beyond that as far as diplomatic and economic relations are concerned. A lot is at stake, thus the pandas deserve nothing but the best during their stay here.

On The Beat  By WONG CHUN WAI

Related posts:

Giant Pandas are coming to Malaysia
Giant leap in relationship - Pandas World
Pandas to soothe your nerves; Huge housing task; Are Malaysians creative naming them? 

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Giant Pandas are coming to Malaysia

China to loan 2 pandas to Malaysia for 10 years 

Images for Giant Pandas

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians will soon be able to see the iconic but endangered Giant Panda in real life. China will loan two baby pandas to the country for 10 years.

This follows an agreement between the Government and China Wildlife Conservation Association, in commemoration of the countries' 40th anniversary of diplomatic relationship, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said in a statement yesterday.

The agreement will be signed on June 15.

The pandas will be placed in a special exhibit in Taman Wetland, Putrajaya. Malaysians will also get the chance to name to pandas in a nationwide contest.

The ministry said the cooperation would enable Malaysia to conduct conservation research, adding that the presence of the pandas would promote public awareness on China's panda conservation efforts.

“This agreement shows Malaysia's commitment towards China's effort in increasing the number of endangered Giant Panda which is endemic in China, estimated currently about 1,600 only.

“This is in accordance to Aichi Targets 2010 under the Convention on Biological Diversity which promote conservation efforts in preventing species extinction,” the statement read.

The ministry said the close relationship between the two countries had enabled Malaysia to attract more foreign investment from China to boost the country's economy further.

“Through this cooperation too, Malaysia can conduct conservation research on the Giant Panda.

The strength of our local expertise will be enhanced through technology transfer by PRC in the field of artificial insemination, genetic and behavioural study on the Giant Panda,” it said.

The agreement was made following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's meeting with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in Nanning, China, last April.

Najib had made the request during his visit there to open the Malaysia-China industrial park.

China news reports in April reported that Malaysia would spend a whopping RM20mil for the upkeep of the pandas.

The budget is expected to cover for the construction of an air-conditioned sanctuary for the pandas, importing bamboos from China for their meals as well to train local handlers for the animals.

By JOSEPH KAOS Jr  joekaosjr@thestar.com.my

Related post: 

Giant leap in relationship - Pandas World

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Stray dog sensation in China!

 Stray dog "Xiaosa" winds her way up to Lhasa

● Xiaosa experienced a variety of inclement weather and completed the trip
● Xiaosa gave cyclists great fun and encouragement
● Xiao Yong started a blog to broadcast Xiaosa’s journey
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A stray dog nicknamed "Xiaosa" has been following a team of cyclists for 20 days along Sichuan-Tibet Highway. The cyclists said she has given them encouragement all the way to Tibet, and are planning to bring her to their hometown in Central China’s Hubei Province.



It’s more than 1,800 kilometers from Sichuan to Tibet. Xiaosa and her new masters made their way all by themselves. During the 20-day trip, Xiaosa ran 50 to 60 kilometers every day and never fell behind.

A stray dog nicknamed "Xiaosa" has been following a team of cyclists for 20 days along
Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

Xiao Yong, a cyclist, said, "At present it runs 60 km by the farthest, just uphill."

On May 4th, Xiao Yong with his cyclist friends came across the stray dog basking in the sun. They threw her a drumstick. To their surprise, the homeless dog latched on to them and would not let go.

Xiao Yong, a cyclist, said, "At first we didn’t consider keeping her and thought she just wanted to follow us for a while. But she showed a very strong willpower and followed us all the way here."

A stray dog nicknamed "Xiaosa" has been following a team of
cyclists for 20 days along Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

Throughout the journey, the dog climbed over 12 mountains higher than 4,000 meters and experienced a variety of inclement weather.

There were about 300 cyclists on the highway, but most of them could not complete the trip. Many of them hitchhiked or took buses along the way. Only Xiaosa and another three cyclists made it.

Mr Heng, a student in Wuhan, Hubei province, had decided to cycle to Llasa as a graduation
trip with friends when he met a lonely dog.
Lu Bo, a cyclist, said, "The dog was very important to us. She brought us a lot of fun and also gave us a lot of encouragement. For example, when some of us fell behind, it would run down the mountain and bark encouragement to follow. It really gave us great strength."

Xiao Yong decided to pick the dog up. He started a blog to broadcast Xiaosa’s journey, drawing about 40,000 fans.

The dog and his friends have built up a massive following online after word got out about
their trip.

As many netizens are concerned about Xiaosa’s health condition after the long trip, her new master took her to the vet.

Yang Bo, vet, said, "Everything is fine with her, including her nose, teeth. She’s not affected by altitude sickness."

With such a successful journey under her belt, Xiaoyong decided to send Xiaosa back to Wuhan, his own hometown, by plane. Xiaoyong said he would bring the dog on journeys in the future. With a dream as the direction, he hopes the dog can run her way like Forrest Gump.

Related stories

A dog with "a heart on road" to Lhasa

 Stray dog becomes a sensation in China after following cyclists for more than 1600 kilometres over 20 days 

When a group of Chinese cyclists threw a stray dog a bone, little did they know that they were at the start of an epic journey that makes Lassie Come Home look like a walk in the park.

The cyclists, on a 1000-mile (1600-kilometre) expedition from Chengdu to Lhasa, came across the small white mongrel in the mountains around Yajiang, a Tibetan area of Sichuan, five days after starting out.
One of the riders, 22-year-old Xiao Yong, tossed the dog a chicken drumstick. To his surprise, it began to follow them - and stayed the course for 20 days to become a sensation in China.

The dog - since named Xiao Sa, or Little Sa - climbed 12 mountains higher than 13,000ft, and stuck with the group during heavy storms. Indeed, as cyclist after cyclist dropped out, exhausted by the steep mountains and the thin air of the Tibetan plateau, the dog kept him and his colleagues going, said Mr Xiao.

"There was one day when we climbed the 14,700ft-tall peak of Anjiala mountain," he said.

"We did more than 40 miles uphill and at the end I had to get off my bike and push. The dog ran ahead of me and stopped at a crossroads.

"She waited for a while, but got bored because I took so long, so ran back, put her paws on my calves, and started licking me."

He said the dog had enough energy to run with the cyclists for at least 30 to 40 miles a day, although he would occasionally carry it in a box on the back of his bike. At night, Xiao Sa slept on the cyclists' raincoats - and would share in their rations, being fed custard tarts, boiled eggs and sausages.

There were some fierce encounters with other dogs along the way. "Once, a large dog started chasing us along a series of dark tunnels and his barking drew a whole pack of others," said Mr Xiao.

"I put Xiao Sa on my bike and started peddling desperately.

"One of my bags was ripped, but otherwise we got away."

Mr Xiao said at first he suspected the dog of following them only for food, "but I can now see a bond between us from the way she looks at me. I think we have definitely moved beyond food".

He has since adopted the dog. Yesterday, Xiao Sa was travelling in a manner more befitting its celebrity: after being given a full medical by a vet in Lhasa, it was returning to Chengdu by passenger plane.


The Daily Telegraph, London
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