2 giant pandas arrive in Qatar as gift from China ahead of World Cup

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Two giant pandas have arrived in Qatar today on a special flight from their native China as a gift from Beijing to the host nation of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, which will run from 20 November to 18 December.

The pandas, named Thuraya and Suhail, left their breeding base in the south western Sichuan province yesterday as part of a cooperation programme on the research and conservation of the animal between the two countries.

The pair were accompanied by a team of experienced breeders and veterinarians to help them settle in their new environment. Dong Li, a breeder, said: "We have prepared steamed corn bread, bamboo shoots, carrots and other foods for giant pandas in case that they need them for journey."

According to Xinhua, this is the first giant panda cooperation programme between China and the Middle East. It follows a cooperation agreement signed in May 2020 between Beijing and Doha.

During a farewell ceremony for the pandas, Doha's Ambassador to China, Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Duhaimi, said the gift "symbolises the depth of relations between the two countries". While China's Ambassador to Qatar, Zhou Jian, posted a message on Twitter with the caption, "See you tomorrow", with the hashtag #PandainQatar. He later stated that "The pandas are also taking China's best wishes to a successful #Qatar2022 World Cup."

Thuraya and Suhail will reside at the newly built Panda House Garden at Al-Khor Zoo near Doha for 15 years. China has gifted pandas to other nations for hundreds of years in what has become known as "Panda diplomacy".

Initially they were given unconditionally but this changed in 1984 when China started entering lease agreements for the bears with recipient nations paying an annual fixed rate over a set period. The lease can then be renewed or the pandas and their offspring will be returned to China.

"Panda diplomacy provides a momentary injection of good­will and often coincides with major diplomatic events and trade deals," stated the American Enterprise Institute's (AEI) in a report published last year.

"However, panda diplomacy is still a limited tool, and it cannot sustain positive relations between China and panda host countries in the longer term."

Source: Middle East Monitor under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0