Singapore is 7th Country in World to get Panda from China

[Dennis Ng]

Singapore is finally getting its own pandas from China after the United States, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Spain and Taiwan. This signify the importance that China places on its relationship with Singapore, a small country in terms of physical size.

The pair of pandas, a one-year-old female and a two-year-old male, are from the Wolong panda reserve in China’s south-western Sichuan province.

The Chinese government has adopted “panda diplomacy” as a projection of its soft power since 1994. Due to their rarity, only countries which enjoy very good relations with China are able to receive the pandas.

Pandas are natural ambassadors of goodwill with their iconic black eye patches, jolly expression and roly-poly gait.

As national treasures of China, they are the most tangible sign of close ties between Beijing and the receiving country.