French first lady Brigitte Macron pays a visit to an old friend in China: A giant panda named Yuan Meng

CHENGDU, China French First Lady Brigitte Macron visited an old companion on Friday during her trip to China with President Emmanuel Macron: a giant panda named Yuan Meng, who was born in France. At the panda conservation center in southwest China where Yuan Meng now lives, the first lady was amazed at how much he has grown since his birth.

She had helped select his name, which means accomplishment of a dream, when he was born at a French zoo in 2017. When they are born, they are this small, she said, showing the size with her fingers. Meanwhile, the panda moved around his enclosure, munching on bamboo and ignoring the visitors calling his name.

They have a very independent nature, she added. They do what they want.

China has long used panda diplomacy, gifting or loaning pandas to strengthen international relations. During President Macrons state visit his fourth to China discussions with Chinese officials included trade, the war in Ukraine, and other global matters.

The China Wildlife Conservation Association announced a plan to send two pandas to Frances Beauval Zoo in 2027 under a new decade-long cooperation agreement. The French zoo had recently returned two pandas, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi, to China after 13 years on loan. Yuan Meng, their cub born via artificial insemination in France, officially belongs to China.

Yuan Meng left France in 2023 for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where Brigitte Macron, often described as his godmother, visited him. Huan Huan and Yuan Zi also had female twins in France in 2021, Huanlili and Yuandudu, who are expected to return to China in the future, remaining at the French zoo until 2027.

Author: Ethan Caldwell