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🇭🇺 Hungary /Culture & Society

China conquers the world with pandas

From Magyar Nemzet · () Hungarian

Translated from Hungarian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • China operates an official panda diplomacy program that loans pandas to strategically important countries.
  • Finland’s Ähtäri Zoo agreed in 2017 to host two pandas for 15 years and paid 12 million euros, but later decided to return them in 2024 after failing to raise enough money.
  • The zoo closed one year later, highlighting the financial risks of the project.

Pandas are China’s leading diplomatic tool, but the arrangement is not for everyone. The country operates an official program that loans the popular animals to states considered important to Beijing.

Finland entered such an agreement in 2017, signing a 15-year contract with Ähtäri Zoo to host a pair of pandas. Under the deal, the zoo paid 12 million euros for the two animals.

The project did not succeed. Ähtäri Zoo could not generate the money it needed, and the state did not provide assistance. The zoo therefore decided to send Lumi and Pyry back to China in 2024. A year later, Ähtäri Zoo itself closed.

The article also highlights Ji Lan, a star at Adelaide Zoo, as another example of the attention pandas attract around the world.

About this summary

Originally published by Magyar Nemzet in Hungarian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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