Baby panda twins greet first visitors in Berlin

Zoo Berlin's newest residents, a pair of panda sisters born in late August, made their long-awaited debut to the press on Tuesday, and will meet the public starting from Wednesday.

The newborn cubs spent their first few weeks behind the scenes. Starting Wednesday, however, visitors will have the chance to watch them grow.

Andreas Knieriem, director of Zoo Berlin, said only the panda cubs will be visible to the public, while their mother Meng Meng will remain behind the scenes. The cubs will be housed in an especially designed glass enclosure with an advanced air filtration system to keep them safe from external elements. One cub will be on display at a time, for an hour each day, from 13:30 to 14:30 local time at the zoo's "Panda Garden," while the other stays with their mother.

"We have finally reached an important day when we can show the panda cubs to the public. First, they will come out for just one hour each day. As time goes on, we may extend the time based on their conditions. These two little ones, weighing only 2.5 kilograms each, are a big deal for panda fans around the globe. Even though they are still tiny, they are already starting to show their panda characteristics," said Knieriem.

The new twin cubs were born after an artificial insemination procedure on March 26, following intensive observation and careful preparation by an international team of experts. The twins, weighing just 150 grams each at birth, have grown to 2.5 kilograms at 55 days old, 15 times their birth weight.

Their names are yet to be decided, as it is a tradition to name the panda cubs after their first 100 days of life.

"The panda twins and Meng Meng are currently in very good condition. We are delighted that there is always a panda cub by Meng Meng's side to get care, whether being breastfed or sleeping. The cubs will take turns to meet the public. From birth until now, the twins have been growing well," said Franziska Sutter, a veterinarian of Zoo Berlin.

Meng Meng and the twin's father Jiao Qing arrived in Berlin in June 2017. In August 2019, she gave birth to the first-ever twin panda cubs in Germany, Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan.

Baby panda twins greet first visitors in Berlin

Baby panda twins greet first visitors in Berlin

Baby panda twins greet first visitors in Berlin

The second China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), which started in Beijing on Tuesday, drew global influential figures from various sectors to offer unique insights into the evolving landscape of global trade and the importance of collaboration.

Themed "Connecting the World for a Shared Future," the expo focuses on critical points across the upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors of various chains.

Compared with the previous edition, this year's event boasts a higher number of exhibiting companies, more international participants, and a larger crowd.

John McLean, Chairman of the China-UK Business Development Center, is one of the global business leaders at Monday's welcome and networking banquet. He emphasized the necessity for businesses to adapt in a world characterized by unpredictability.

"This is a good place to find out what else you can do with China and actually kind of minimize your risk. Because we now live in a world where black swans are our own, let's say, prevalent, which they weren't before. Therefore, you have to be far more agile and having the kind of base of China available to you, actually de risks it from some respects," McLean said.

Many of these firms place China at the core of the global supply chain, integral to international business, trade and global markets.

"We know the world is difficult. There are many issues, but I think we can bid on China continuing to be in a very significant economy with a very strong middle class. Very smart people are leading the way on many things," said Simon Bridges, CEO of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand.

Some of these company representatives even consider China a second home.

"I live in here more than 10 years, so that's why I'm feeling China, Shanghai is my second home. Having this kind of strong supply chain expo is a great opportunity for our companies to meet each other and have the cooperation together," said Atakan Bozkurt, CEO of Burger King China.

Global firms gather in Beijing to boost supply chain resilience