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Giant panda Xiang Xiang's return from Japan postponed due to pandemic
CGTN

Born and raised in Japan, 4-year-old female giant panda Xiang Xiang was supposed to return to China by the end of this month, but the coronavirus pandemic has postponed her arrival again. 

According to NHK, Xiang Xiang will stay at the Ueno Zoo, Japan's oldest zoo, until the end of June next year. This is the third time that the plan has been postponed. Xiang Xiang was born in 2017 at Tokyo's Uneo Zoological Gardens to parents Ri Ri and Shin Shin, who were on loan to Japan.

A thank you celebration is held for Xiang Xiang in the Ueno area of Tokyo, Japan, December 9, 2020. /CFP

A thank you celebration is held for Xiang Xiang in the Ueno area of Tokyo, Japan, December 9, 2020. /CFP

The agreement made between the Tokyo metropolitan government and the China Wildlife Conservation Association said that Xiang Xiang is owned by China and will be returned to China at the end of December 2020. On December 9, 2020, a thank you celebration was held for Xiang Xiang in Tokyo's Ueno area.

(Cover image via CFP)

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