DRULAP

Washington — The National Zoo’s long dark panda drought has come to an end.

Eleven months after the zoo sent its three wildly popular pandas — Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji — back to China, a new pair of bears arrived late Tuesday morning.

The three-year old giant pandas, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, were flown from China to Dulles International Airport in suburban Virginia, with a refueling stop in Alaska. They were loaded into special FedEx trucks and arrived at the zoo just before noon.

“Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare for the pandas’ arrival, and we’re thrilled to welcome Bao Li and Qing Bao to Washington, D.C., the only place you can see giant pandas for free in the nation,” said Brandie Smith, the national zoo director who travelled to China to take part in farewell ceremonies for the bears there. “As a result of our collective efforts, today we joyfully celebrate a new chapter of our 52-year-long giant panda breeding and conservation program.”

The zoo was closed Tuesday to facilitate the arrivals. The bears will be quarantined from the public for at least 30 days. A statement from the zoo set the date for the bears’ official public debut and the reopening of the renovated panda house as Jan. 24, 2025.

Bao Li (precious vigor) and Qing Bao (green treasure) arrive in Washington as part of a new 10-year agreement with Chinese authorities. The previous deal expired last year, leading to some concern among American panda-lovers that Beijing was gradually pulling its furry friendship ambassadors from American zoos amid rising diplomatic tensions.

Breeding pairs in zoos in Memphis and San Diego had already returned to China earlier and the four pandas in the Atlanta zoo left for China last week.

That anxiety turned to optimism last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly stated a desire to continue the panda exchange programs. This year, a new pair of bears has been delivered to the San Diego Zoo, while another pair has been promised to San Francisco.

In Washington, National Zoo officials remained conspicuously silent about negotiations for a new panda agreement, but they expressed optimism about striking a new deal and launched a multimillion-dollar renovation of its panda enclosure in anticipation. Then in late May, Smith teamed up with first lady Jill Biden to announce that Bao Li and Qing Bao would be arriving by the end of this year.

Pandas have become one of the unofficial symbols of the nation’s capital, dating back to 1972 when the first pair — Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing — were sent as a gift from Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai following President Richard Nixon’s historic diplomatic visit to China. Later, a rolling series of 10-year cooperation agreements was struck.

“The giant pandas are an iconic part of the Washington, D.C., story, both for locals and incoming travelers alike,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of Destination DC. “The interest and excitement associated with their return directly benefits the entire city, bringing further interest and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and other attractions.”

The exact terms of the deal are still unclear; under previous 10-year agreements the Chinese government receives $1 million per year, per bear. Any cubs born in overseas zoos are typically returned to China before they reach age four.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, credited the decades of cooperation with advancing research into panda preservation and breeding. During the lifespan of these agreements, giant pandas have been reclassified from an endangered species to merely vulnerable.

“The current round of cooperation will focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases, and protection of habitats and wild giant panda populations,” Liu said in an email. “We hope the arrival of the pandas will inject fresh impetus into exchanges between China and the U.S., and help to stabilize the broader bilateral relationship as well.”
…

KARACHI, PAKISTAN — Pakistan has agreed to increase security for Chinese citizens and projects in the South Asian nation, a joint statement said on Tuesday, as Beijing called for urgent security measures following an escalation in militant threats in the country.

China has pumped billions of dollars into Pakistan over the years building infrastructure under the Belt and Road Initiative, while also running a strategic port and a major mine in the country.

But its citizens and projects have been attacked continuously by separatist militants fighting against what they call exploitation of the mineral-rich southwestern Balochistan province.

“The Chinese side underscored the need and urgency to take targeted security measures in Pakistan, to jointly create a safe environment for cooperation,” said a joint statement on the visit of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li arrived in Islamabad on Monday for a four-day visit — the first visit by a Chinese premier to Pakistan in 11 years — days after a suicide bombing in Karachi killed two Chinese engineers. It was the second attack on Chinese engineers in the country this year.

The visit coincides with a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a Eurasian security and political group.

The Pakistani side emphasized its firm commitment to enhancing security input and coordination as well as strengthening security measures, the statement, released by Pakistan’s foreign office, said.

Pakistan will make “comprehensive efforts to ensure the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions,” the 30-point statement said.

Islamabad is under tight security for the duration of the Chinese premier’s visit, which concludes on Thursday.

The joint statement also touched on regional, economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries.

Both parties reaffirmed their commitment to an upgraded version of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, a $65 billion investment in the South Asian country under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative.
…

Islamabad — Leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of Eurasian countries gathered in Pakistan Tuesday for an annual, two-day meeting to discuss ways to enhance regional security, stability, and development cooperation.

Authorities have placed Islamabad under a security lockdown for the SCO gathering, deploying thousands of forces, including troops, in and around the Pakistani capital to protect the high-profile event due to a recent surge in deadly militant attacks.

China and Russia established the SCO in 2001 as a way to counterbalance Western alliances in the areas of security, politics, and economics. Other members of the 10-state alliance are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, India and Iran.

Officials said that Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin are among several heads of government who will attend the meeting, which will be presided over by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the organization’s current chair.

Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and the first vice president of Iran will represent their respective countries at the meeting. Jaishankar is the first Indian foreign minister to visit Islamabad in nearly a decade.

Pakistan and India have both ruled out the possibility of bilateral talks during Jaishankar’s visit, emphasizing that the SCO is a “multilateral” gathering, and neither side has requested such a meeting.

Officials stated that Sharif would host a welcome dinner for SCO delegates on Tuesday. The summit proceedings will commence on Wednesday morning.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Premier Li “will have an in-depth exchange of view” with leaders of the participating countries on advancing the SCO’s “practical cooperation,” among other issues. 

“China believes that this meeting will produce positive outcomes and give a stronger boost to the security, stability, and development of regional countries,” Mao told reporters in Beijing. 

Analysts remain skeptical whether the SCO meetings have produced outcomes that would address concerns of member states, noting that Western alliances like NATO or the European Union offer members privileges such as mutual defense and economic integration.

Security concerns surrounding Tuesday’s SCO meeting in Pakistan stem from a recent surge in militant attacks in the country. However, the deadly violence has primarily affected southwestern Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces bordering Afghanistan.

The Pakistani government has declared a three-day public holiday in Islamabad and the adjoining garrison city of Rawalpindi as part of security measures. 

Last week, two Chinese engineers were killed and another was injured when their convoy was hit by a suicide car bombing in Karachi, the capital of southern Sindh province. A separatist group from Balochistan claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. 

The slain foreigners were staff at a Chinese-funded coal-fired power plant under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure development bilateral collaboration stemming from Beijing’s global Belt and Road Initiative. 

Despite the deadly attack, Premier Li arrived in Islamabad Monday and held wide-ranging bilateral talks with Sharif before participating in the SCO meeting. 

The leaders also virtually inaugurated a CPEC-funded airport in Balochistan’s coastal city of Gwadar, which also houses a Chinese-run deep-water port on the Arabian Sea. Security concerns reportedly prompted the virtual inauguration of what officials described as Pakistan’s second-largest airport, which China gifted.
…

Russia and China held “substantive” defense and military talks to bolster ties, Russia’s defense minister said on Tuesday, as Moscow and Beijing cement a “no limits” partnership and step up criticism of U.S. efforts to extend its influence in Asia. 

“The military departments of Russia and China are united in their assessments of global processes, and they have a common understanding of what needs to be done in the current situation,” a post on the Russian defense ministry’s Telegram messaging app cited Defense Minister Andrei Belousov as saying.  

Belousov said he met with China’s central military commission vice chairman, Zhang Youxia for “very substantive” talks.  

China’s Defense Ministry said after the meeting that both sides hope to deepen and expand military relations and maintain high-level exchanges. 

Belousov’s visit to Beijing took place as China’s military vowed to take further action against Taiwan if needed after staging a day of war games it said were a warning to “separatist acts” and which drew condemnation from the Taiwanese and U.S. governments. 

China and Russia declared a “no limits” partnership in February 2022 when President Vladimir Putin visited Beijing less than three weeks before his forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering the deadliest land war in Europe since World War II. 

In May this year, Putin and China’s Xi Jinping pledged a “new era” of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States, which they cast as an aggressive Cold War hegemon sowing chaos across the world. 

Putin and Xi also agreed to deepen their “strategic partnership,” Belousov said, without providing detail, adding he is confident that “fruitful work and the adoption of significant, weighty decisions are ahead.” 

Russia said last week it was standing alongside China on Asian issues, including the criticism of the U.S. drive to extend its influence and “deliberate attempts” to inflame the situation around Taiwan.  

The U.S. says China is supporting Russia’s war effort in Ukraine by supplying so-called dual use goods, including microelectronics, that can help it build weapons. China says it has not provided weaponry to any party, and that normal trade with Russia should not be interrupted or restricted. 

(Reuters reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Additional reporting by Farah Master and the Beijing newsroom; Editing by Tom Hogue and Lincoln Feast.) 
…

SYDNEY — An international conference in Australia of First Nations people is calling on scientists to engage with Indigenous experts to find solutions to climate change.

Indigenous Australians consider the land to be the mother of creation. To them, it is a living, breathing mass that contains secrets and wisdom.

Tribal leaders have gathered in Dubbo, 390 kilometers northwest of Sydney, to urge governments and scientists to do more to harness the knowledge of First Nations peoples to combat climate change.

In an official video, Glen Wingfield of the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation in South Australia said the conference is part of a growing movement.

“We get on top of this (and) try to slow this global warming and all that stuff and get the message out to young people,” Wingfield said. “We need more and more voices.  If there is one or two people, you go and knock at the door, they tell you to go away. If you are going to come with a big mob, now they are going to start listening.”

Indigenous communities around the world have relied on a deep understanding of their environments to survive.

Kyle Whyte, professor of Environmental Justice at the University of Michigan, is attending the summit as a science envoy for the U.S. State Department.

He has said previously that First Nations people around the world have already been through an environmental “apocalypse” because of the theft of customary lands.

He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Tuesday that the impact of dispossession continues to this day.

“Going back several centuries it was Indigenous peoples’ lands that were first sacrificed to make way for mining and other industries that we now know are responsible for human-caused climate change,” he said.

The Canadian government has set up a partnership with Indigenous people to help tackle climate change. In 2023, the Ottawa government said, “First Nations, Inuit, and Métis in Canada are at the forefront of efforts to…adapt to the impacts of our changing climate.”  

In New Zealand, authorities have acknowledged that for many Indigenous Maori, climate change “is not an isolated risk” but is “intrinsically linked to other issues, such as social development needs, housing, environmental degradation…and poverty.”

Indigenous elders have said that the First Nations people of Australia, who make up about 3% of the national population, contribute the least to climate change, “yet the impacts of climate change are affecting us most severely.” 

The climate summit in Dubbo runs Oct 14-18 and is jointly run by the local Tubba-Gah Wiradjuri Aboriginal Corporation. 
…

HONG KONG — Hong Kong is expected to announce measures to boost the city’s economy in its annual policy address on Wednesday, including slashing liquor tariffs, as it seeks to revive the financial hub that has been struggling to recover since the pandemic.

Hong Kong’s small and open economy has felt the ripple effects of a slowdown in the Chinese economy. The city’s economy expanded by 3.3% in the second quarter from a year earlier, and is forecast to grow 2.5-3.5% for the year.

Although tourism numbers have rebounded since COVID, with 46 million visitors expected this year, consumption and retail spending remain sluggish, while stock listings have dried up and capital flight remains a challenge.

In February, Hong Kong’s financial secretary announced new measures spanning property, tourism and financial services, noting headwinds including a complex geopolitical environment and ballooning budget deficits.

But in a meeting last month between China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong and Hong Kong leader John Lee, Xia emphasized a need for further “reforms” to spur economic growth, in line with China’s national strategy.

He called on the Hong Kong government to “unite and lead all sectors of society” to promote reforms, while urging businessmen to help in this drive.

One commentator in the state-run China Daily said Xia’s speech suggested a need for “economic and social reforms.”

Lee has said the focus this year would be on economic development and people’s livelihoods. His government pushed through new national security laws in March which Lee said had improved stability.

Some countries including the U.S. have criticized Lee for leading a years-long security crackdown that has jailed opposition democrats, shutdown liberal media outlets and curbed freedoms.

Local media also reported possible plans to phase out some of Hong Kong’s more squalid sub-divided flats, tiny cubicles that have been criticized as below acceptable living standards. Lee is also expected to push more tourism-related initiatives.

On real estate, a key pillar of the economy, Lee is under pressure to do more to revive a market that has fallen around a fifth from its 2021 peak.

Some market players, including Midland Realty’s Hong Kong residential CEO Sammy Po, have called for further cutting of red tape to help Chinese buyers, including younger ones on talent schemes, to transfer capital and secure mortgages.

Liquor taxes could also be slashed from the current 100% – one of the highest rates globally – to try to turn the city into a spirits trading hub in the way that it became an Asian wine trading hub after wine duties were abolished in 2008.

The move may benefit local bars and restaurants that have struggled since COVID, with many local residents now opting to travel across the northern border to the Chinese city of Shenzhen to dine more cheaply.

Retail sales were down 7.7% for the first eight months of 2024 compared with the same period a year before.
…

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday reiterated that state energy firm Petronas will continue to conduct oil and gas exploration activities in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, despite objections from China.

This includes exploration activities in Petronas’ Kasawari gas development off Sarawak state on Borneo, he told parliament.

“We will continue, but we will not close the door on discussions with any country,” Anwar said.

He said Malaysia had territorial disputes with many of its neighbors, including Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and said undue focus was placed on its differences with China.

“We have issues but these issues do not affect diplomatic relations. These issues do not affect trade relations and close friendships with our neighbors,” he said.

Anwar said last month Malaysia’s exploration activities were within its territory and were not intended to be provocative or hostile towards China, following the media leak of a diplomatic note from Beijing.

In the note, carried by a Philippine news outlet, Beijing asserted that Malaysia’s oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea breached its territory.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea and has deployed a fleet of coast guards deep into Southeast Asia, including the EEZs of Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam, complicating those country’s exploration efforts.

China rejects a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague that Beijing’s expansive claims had no basis under international law.

Petronas’s oil and gas projects in the South China Sea have had several encounters with Chinese vessels in recent years.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, a U.S. think tank, said in a report this month that Chinese coast guard vessels have made frequent visits to Malaysian exploratory wells off Sarawak this year, passing as close as 1,000 meters from gas production platforms at Timi, Kasawari, and Jerun.

Petronas’ Kasawari field holds an estimated 10 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and commenced first production in August this year.
…

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan is hosting a major security meeting this week, with senior leaders from longtime ally China and archrival India among those attending.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was established in 2001 by China and Russia to discuss security concerns in Central Asia and the wider region.

But it’s Pakistan’s own security that is under the microscope.

An attack on a foreign ambassadors’ convoy, violent protests by supporters of an imprisoned former prime minister and a bombing outside Pakistan’s biggest airport are signs the country is struggling to contain multiplying threats from insurgents.

The meeting, which begins Tuesday in Islamabad, comes at a crucial time for the government. 

Here’s why:

Armed groups are outpacing the army

Pakistan says it has foiled attacks through intelligence-based operations and preventative measures. It frequently vows “to root out terrorism.”

But the frequency and scale of the recent violence give the impression that the government isn’t in control and raises questions about its ability to protect key sites and foreigners, let alone Pakistanis.

In the last few weeks, separatists from Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan province have killed Chinese nationals in Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, as well as more than 20 miners in an attack on housing at a coal mine and seven workers in another attack. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, is better at mobilizing fighters in different areas, and its operational capabilities have increased.

The group wants independence for the province. It’s not interested in overthrowing the state to establish a caliphate, which is what the Pakistani Taliban want. But the two groups have a common enemy — the government.

Analysts have said the BLA is getting support from the Pakistani Taliban. But, even without an alliance, attacks in the southwest are becoming more audacious and brutal, indicating that the BLA’s tactics are evolving and taking the security apparatus by surprise.

The Pakistani Taliban continue their shootings and bombings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.

It could be difficult for militants to hit the meeting, given the security around it and the areas where delegates will stay. But they could still wreak havoc.

Vehicles are often just waved through street checkpoints in Islamabad. Aside from government buildings and top hotels, body searches and under-vehicle scanners are rare.

“At stake for the entire state is the only mission: how to hold such an event peacefully,” said Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies. “How to get it done without any unpleasant incidents taking place. It’s going to be a formidable challenge for the government to disprove the notion of failures within the security apparatus.”

Pakistan is paying the price for shutdowns

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said last week that the national economy suffered cumulative daily losses of more than $684 million on account of recent agitation.

He was referring to supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan reaching the heart of the capital, despite a suspension of cellphone service and placement of shipping containers at access points to the city. The shutdown hit most business sectors, the gig economy, point-of-sale transactions, commuters, students, workers and more.

Pakistan can’t afford to incur such losses or deepen people’s grievances. It relies on International Monetary Fund bailouts and multibillion-dollar deals and loans from friendly countries to meet its economic needs. There are regular protests over energy bills and the cost of living.

Despite people’s hardships, authorities have declared a three-day holiday surrounding the meeting.

There have been reports of the government ordering the closure of wedding halls, restaurants, hotels, cafes and markets in Islamabad and the neighboring garrison city Rawalpindi for security reasons.

Officials denied the reports, but not very strenuously.

“Generally, high-profile conferences are meant to promote connectivity, trade and improve a country’s image,” said Gul. But not in this case because Islamabad won’t look like a normal city, he said.

“It seems they lack innovative thinking,” Gul said. “They are unable to use smart approaches, and that’s why the easier way is to shut everything down.”

A seat at the table and saving face

The last time Pakistan hosted a major conference was in March 2022, a month before Khan was kicked out of office and a new cycle of upheaval started.

The country’s security situation and political instability are two factors that have prevented it from holding big international events.

Even its best-loved sport, cricket, has suffered. There was a 10-year absence of test matches after terrorists ambushed a Sri Lanka team bus in 2009, killing eight people and injuring players and officials.

The meeting is Pakistan’s chance to shine, especially in front of its neighbor China, to whom it is in hock by several billion dollars and whose nationals are prime targets for armed groups, as well as India, which is sending its foreign minister to the country for the first time since 2015.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars and built up their armies but also developed nuclear weapons. China and India fought a war over their border in 1962.

Pakistan, unused to hosting such a high-level meeting, will have to put its best face forward.

Senior defense analyst Abdullah Khan said the government wants to show its international legitimacy amid the domestic crises.

“The presence of heads of state and other senior officials will itself be a success as Pakistan will come out of its so-called isolation,” said Khan. “A peacefully held SCO will further improve the country’s image.”
…

SEOUL, SOuth Korea — North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un convened a top national security meeting Monday, state media reported, directing a plan of “immediate military action” at a time of spiking tensions with the South.  

The meeting in Pyongyang was attended by the country’s top security officials, including the army chief and other military officials, as well as the ministers of state security and defense. 

“He set forth the direction of immediate military action and indicated important tasks to be fulfilled in the operation of the war deterrent and the exercise of the right to self-defense,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

The meeting comes as the nuclear-armed North has accused Seoul of flying drones over its capital and moved troops to its border, with South Korea saying Monday it was “fully ready” to respond if fired upon.

Officials at the meeting in Pyongyang heard a report on the “enemy’s serious provocation,” KCNA reported, an apparent reference to the drone flights.

Kim “expressed a tough political and military stand” at the meeting, state media said.

The North has accused Seoul of being responsible for the drones, which dropped propaganda leaflets filled with “inflammatory rumors and rubbish,” and warned on Sunday that it would consider it “a declaration of war” if another drone was detected.

Seoul’s military initially denied it was behind the flights, with local speculation centered on activist groups in the South that have long sent propaganda and U.S. currency northward, typically by balloon.

The United Nations Command, which oversees the armistice that ended active fighting in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War, said it was aware of the North Korean claim.

“The command is currently investigating the matter in strict accordance with the Armistice Agreement,” it said.

The two Koreas remain technically at war.
…