French first lady Brigitte Macron reunites with an old friend in China: A giant panda named Yuan Meng

CHENGDU, China French First Lady Brigitte Macron reunited with an old friend on Friday during the final days of her China visit with President Emmanuel Macron: a giant panda named Yuan Meng, born in France. At the panda reserve in southwest China where Yuan Meng now lives, the first lady expressed amazement at his growth since birth. She had helped choose his name, which translates to accomplishment of a dream, when he was born in a French zoo in 2017.

When they are born, they are this small, she remarked, showing the size with her fingers. Meanwhile, Yuan Meng, a robust male panda, wandered his enclosure munching on bamboo, paying little attention to visitors calling his name.

Pandas have a very independent nature, Brigitte Macron noted. They do what they want.

China has long used panda diplomacy to strengthen international relations, gifting pandas to allied countries and loaning them to foreign zoos. During President Macrons state visitthe fourth of his presidencyhe met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other officials to discuss trade, Russias war in Ukraine, and additional issues. The China Wildlife Conservation Association announced during the visit that it plans to send two pandas to Frances Beauval Zoo in 2027 as part of a new decade-long panda cooperation program.

Recently, the Beauval Zoo returned two 17-year-old pandas, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi, to China after a 13-year loan. Yuan Meng was their cub, conceived via artificial insemination. Although born in France, Yuan Meng officially belongs to the Chinese government. In 2023, he left France for the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where Brigitte Macron, regarded as his godmother, paid a visit.

Huan Huan and Yuan Zi also produced female twin pandas, Huanlili and Yuandudu, in France in 2021. They are expected to move to China in the future, with the French zoo keeping them until January 2027, according to the China Wildlife Conservation Association.

Author: Ava Mitchell