Panda mania hits Germany as China’s cuddly envoys arrive

BERLIN: Germany was bracing for panda mania as furry ambassadors arrived from China on Saturday, destined for a new life as stars of Berlin’s premier zoo. The pair, named Meng Meng and Jiao Qing, came on a special Lufthansa cargo plane, accompanied by two Chinese panda specialists, the Berlin Zoo’s chief vet and a ton of bamboo. Berlin’s mayor, China’s ambassador to Germany and a gaggle of journalists greeted the VIPs. After just over a week’s acclimatization, they will be unveiled to the public by no less than Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chinese President Xi Jinping, most likely two days before the G-20 summit of world leaders hosted by Germany. Famed for its “panda diplomacy,” China has dispatched its national treasure to only about a dozen countries as a symbol of close relations. “The Chinese see the pandas as Chinese brand ambassadors. China obviously has an image problem in Europe and giving pandas is a very smart and easy way to win hearts,” said Bernhard Bartsch from the Bertelsmann Foundation think tank in Berlin. The “pandas will lend a very positive spin in German media to the visit by Xi Jinping in July,” he added.

O