Mainland-gifted giant panda pair arrives in Hong Kong

A pair of giant pandas gifted by the Chinese central government to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday morning.

The pair, An An and Ke Ke, departed from Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at about 09:00 and arrived in Hong Kong at around 11:00. They will undergo a 30 day-health monitoring and quarantine at the Ocean Park Hong Kong, and another 30 days to adapt to the new environment before making their anticipated public debut in mid-December.

The two are the third pair of giant pandas gifted by the central government to Hong Kong to mark its 27th anniversary of returning to the motherland. They are to join four others currently living in Hong Kong.

An An, a male, and Ke Ke, a female, were both born in June 2019. The two are genetically unrelated, but have complementary characters. An An, 130kg, is outgoing and lively while Ke Ke, 100kg, is sweet-tempered and good at climbing.

On Wednesday, a farewell ceremony was held in the city of Dujiangyan for the pair. At the ceremony, the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda handed the panda archives over to the Ocean Park Hong Kong.

The central government gifted Hong Kong with the first pair of giant pandas in 1999. However, the two pandas passed away in 2016 and 2022 at the ages of 38 and 35, respectively. Jia Jia, which died at 38 in 2016, was the world's longest-living captive giant panda.

The central government gifted a second pair in 2007 and they have recently given birth to twin panda cubs.

Mainland-gifted giant panda pair arrives in Hong Kong

Mainland-gifted giant panda pair arrives in Hong Kong

China and Germany should join forces to confront urgent global economic challenges, such as fragmentation and protectionism, said a German financial expert on Monday at the 10th China Day event within the framework of the 27th Euro Finance Week in Frankfurt.

The Euro Finance Week, one of Europe's largest platform for the financial industry, is held annually in November, with the China Day specifically focused on exploring cooperation opportunities in finance, economy and trade between China and Europe, Germany in particular.

Sabine Mauderer, vice president of Deutsche Bundesbank, warned against protectionism, saying it hinders growth and is especially harmful during a time when the global economy is already suffering from supply chain disruptions.

"A fragmentation of the global economy has no wins. We all know that protectionism typically leads to a decline in growth," she stressed.

Mauderer pointed out that while companies in China and Germany are both business partners and competitors, it is essential for the two sides to find a way to ensure that competition remains fair and mutually beneficial.

Mauderer also emphasized that low interest rates can only provide short-term support for economic recovery, while technological innovation and the promotion of digitalization are the long-term drivers of global economic growth.

At Euro Finance Week, the Frankfurt Branch of Bank of China won a special award for its outstanding contributions to the financial hub Frankfurt and its excellent Renminbi services in Germany.

Financial expert calls for China-Germany cooperation, warns against protectionism