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US envoy visits panda center in SW. China city
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-25 14:17
US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick cuddled a 5-month-old panda cub
Wednesday to highlight shared US and Chinese affection for the furry animals
amid tensions over trade, human rights and other issues.
Dressed in a blue smock and plastic gloves, Zoellick held the female cub Jing
Jing at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in China's southwest and
laughed as the cub licked his neck and nipped at his chin.
"For more than 30 years, pandas have been a very practical symbol of the
conservation relationship between the United States and China," Zoellick told
reporters later, standing beside an outdoor pen as two adult pandas wrestled
inside.
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Dressed in a blue
smock and plastic gloves, Zoellick held the female cub Jing Jing at the
Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in China's southwest and
laughed as the cub licked his neck and nipped at his chin.
[cnsphoto]
| The center in Chengdu, capital of
the province of Sichuan, the panda's natural habitat, is part of efforts to
breed the rare, endangered animals in captivity. The government says a record 21
surviving panda cubs were born in captivity last year.
Zoellick noted the American public's affection for pandas given to U.S. zoos
by Beijing. He joked that tickets to see the new panda cub, Tai Shan, at
Washington's National Zoo were so hard to get that he came to Chengdu to avoid
the line.
Beijing also has offered a panda pair to rival Taiwan in an effort to boost
sentiment on the self-ruled island in favor of uniting with the communist
mainland. Taiwan's government hasn't said whether it will accept the gift.
Asked what he thought about the offer to Taiwan, Zoellick said, "I'll leave
that to Beijing and Taiwan."
The levity of the panda visit contrasted with the more serious purpose of
Zoellick's China mission: to hold a dialogue on the governments wide-ranging and
at times conflicting international interests.
Relations between the two countries have been strained over the past year by
American frustration with China's soaring trade surplus and unease over
Beijing's military buildup and its energy cooperation with Iran, Venezuela and
other governments Washington dislikes.
Despite that, both governments have worked hard to increase cooperation. At
their meeting in Beijing Tuesday, Premier Wen Jiabao told Zoellick that China
wants to improve their "strategic dialogue" and build "mutual trust."
Among the issues Zoellick discussed with Wen and senior foreign ministry
officials were Iran's nuclear program and other security issues as well as
economic issues. Zoellick said he stressed China's role as a "stakeholder" in
the new economy and global community.
Zoellick said he also held meetings with Chinese and American
non-governmental groups working on developing the rule of law in China.
He was due to leave China later Wednesday for Davos, Switzerland, to attend
the World Economic Forum.
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