Pandas receive rockstar reception in Belgium

Eric Domb, CEO of Pairi Daiza Zoo, speaks during a new conference at Brussels airport February 23, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]

PANDA ECONOMICS, DIPLOMACY

It is such enthusiasm park director Eric Domb will be hoping to tap in the coming years. He is confident Pairi Daiza's collaboration with the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, will help boost visitor numbers from 1.24 million last year to 1.35 million in 2014 alone.

In fact, Belgium becomes only the 13th country and Pairi Daiza the 18th zoo in the world to house giant pandas, considered one of the world's most endangered species. About 1,600 live in the wild, mostly in the mountains of China's southwestern Sichuan province, while over 300 live in captivity.

Apart from the sheer prestige of receiving much sought-after pandas, Belgium's extraordinarily long lease is being viewed as a sign of strong ties with China.

Belgium was China's sixth largest trading partner in the EU in 2012, with a bilateral trade volume of $26.3 billion.

Speaking to the press at Brussels airport earlier on Sunday, Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo said he aimed to enhance cooperation with China in such fields such as foreign investment and people-to-people exchange, especially among the youth.

In a similar vein, a new Belgian visa application center was inaugurated in Beijing on Friday to boost tourism from China.

"I hope Xing Hui and Hao Hao will further enhance friendship between Belgium and China," Liao Liqiang, China's ambassador to Belgium, said during an interview with Xinhua.

PANDA PROGENY

Even as Hao Hao and Xing Hui come to terms with their instant celebrity status in Belgium, a lot will be riding on their shoulders.

With some luck, Belgian and Chinese authorities are hoping the panda duo each aged nearly five -- thus a year away from puberty -- will be able to bear cubs during their stint here.

"I hope the panda research cooperation program will bear fruit soon, and Xing Hui and Hao Hao can soon give birth to a baby panda," Li Qingwen, deputy secretary-general of the China Wildlife Conservation Association told visitors on Sunday.

Given pandas' infamous solitary lifestyles (female pandas only tolerate a male's presence around them two to three days a year during mating season), Pairi Daiza will be working with specialists at the University of Ghent to study their behavior, hormones and overall health to help them procreate.

Jia Jiansheng, an official with the State Forestry Administration of China, expressed great hope in the success of the program. "The panda is a symbol of conservation of animal and plant diversity around the world. The larger goal is to encourage the protection of wild life," he said.

Zoo gets ready for pandas

Giant pandas arrive at Belgian zoo

Panda 'couple' ready for the trip