Xi and Merkel to open Berlin Zoo's refurbished Panda Garden

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has said that he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will open Berlin Zoo's refurbished Panda Garden for the two giant pandas China recently gifted to the country.

"I hope this pair of giant pandas will serve as envoys of the China-Germany friendship," Xi said in an article published in Germany on Tuesday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel at last year's G20 Summit in Hangzou. /Xinhua Photo‍

Meng Meng and Jiao Qing arrived in Germany last month and have already become accustomed to their new environment, said Yin Hong, the panda keeper who accompanied the pair to Berlin from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.

Meng Meng and Jiao Qing arrived in Berlin on June 24, 2017. /VCG Photo

Meng Meng, which means "sweet dream", is a four-year-old female while Jiao Qing, meaning "darling", is a seven-year-old male.

They were sent to Germany on a 15-year conservation and breeding program.

"Obviously, they feel very good here. You just have the feeling that they are not strangers," said Dr. Andreas Ochs, a senior veterinarian.

The pair are not the first pandas given or loaned to Germany by China. Bao Bao was gifted to Germany in 1980 and died in 2012.

The pandas "are envoys of the friendship between China and Germany," said Ochs. "We are very proud to be able to house the animals here."

Berlin Zoo is scheduled to hold an opening ceremony of the refurbished Panda Garden on Wednesday.

(Source: Xinhua)

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