Chinanews, Beijing, Jan. 11 – News from State Bureau of Forestry say that there are 27 Chinese giant pandas had joined in international scientific exchange.

 

Meimei, a giant panda sent to Japan, gave birth to two twin cubs at Adventure World in southwestern Japan’s Shirahama in last December. Currently experts from China and Japan are endeavoring to keep them healthy.

 

Of the 27 pandas, 17 were born in China and their 10 cubs were born abroad. Of the 27, 12 are in U.S., 10 in Japan, 2 in Austria, 2 in Thailand, and one in Germany. These pandas are still owned by China.

 

China gave a total of 23 pandas as state gifts from 1957 to 1982 to the former Soviet Union, North Korea (DPRK), U.S., Japan, France, Britain, Germany, Mexico and Spain These pandas had helped to improve China’s relationship with those countries. Five of their offsprings are still alive, 1 in Japan, 3 in Mexico and 1 in Germany.

 

China has ceased to send pandas abroad as gifts since 1982. Now China hopes to resume this practice to promote international scientific exchange. Generally these pandas are used for scientific research and will live in foreign countries for 10 years.