Adorable ambassador: US-born giant panda Bei Bei eating in its enclosure at the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda in Ya’an, Sichuan province. China has been using so-called ‘panda diplomacy’ since 1972, when the first animals were sent to the United States in 1972 as a gift. — AFP
China will gift a pair of giant pandas to Hong Kong as the finance hub marked its 27th year under Chinese rule, city leader John Lee announced.
The former British colony was handed over to China in 1997 under a “One Country, Two Systems” governance model, which guaranteed key freedoms and a high degree of autonomy.
July 1 was once a day of civil society demonstrations in Hong Kong, but authorities have cracked down on dissent after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Lee said the gift “fully demonstrates (China’s) care and support for our city” and that the pandas will arrive within months.
He also hailed the passage of a homegrown security law – popularly known as Article 23 – in March, which exists alongside a national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020.
The move fulfilled a “constitutional responsibility and historic mission”, the city’s leader said in a speech.
Lee added that his policies have led to a “substantial rise in the registered number of property transactions and a stable property market”.
The city’s GDP is expected to grow between 2.5 and 3.5% this year, compared to a 3.3% rise last year, he said. — AFP
