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The China Wildlife Conservation Association and the San Diego Zoo in the US have recently signed an agreement for giant panda conservation, selecting a pair of giant pandas to be sent to the San Diego Zoo for a 10-year international conservation partnership.
To ensure the well-being of the giant pandas in the US, in March, experts from the China Wildlife Conservation Association traveled to the US to engage in in-depth discussions and technical exchanges with the San Diego Zoo regarding panda care, living environment, and health requirements.
In line with the agreement, both parties are actively progressing with the preparations for the pandas' journey to the US. China has selected a pair of pandas, Yun Chuan (male) and Xin Bao (female), from the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, and has arranged for experienced caretakers and veterinarians to accompany them to the US.
The US is currently renovating and upgrading the panda facilities to provide a larger and more comfortable living environment. Additionally, the zoo has assembled a professional team with expertise in panda care, daily nursing, and related scientific research, acquired through study and exchange programs in China.
The San Diego Zoo is one of the world's top five zoos. In 1996, the two parties officially commenced panda cooperation, with Bai Yun and Shi Shi from the CCRCGP becoming the first pair to reside at the San Diego Zoo.
Over the past 23 years, the two sides have engaged in extensive collaborative exchanges in various fields, including wild panda ecology, behavior, genetic structure, monitoring techniques, captive breeding, disease prevention and control, nutrition, companion species research, and public education.
They have jointly solved a series of technical challenges, including important discoveries in key areas such as panda breeding, habitat protection, and panda supplemental nutrition.
This collaboration has cultivated a group of outstanding professionals, resulting in the publication of over 30 professional books and more than 100 academic papers, effectively enhancing the level of panda conservation research.
The pandas Hua Mei and Mei Sheng, bred by Bai Yun, Shi Shi and Gao Gao, during their stay at the San Diego Zoo, are not only the result of China-US giant panda research cooperation but also adorable ambassadors promoting friendly exchanges between the two countries, making a positive contribution to enhancing friendship between the peoples of China and the US.
Reporter: Yan Dongjie

A Long March 2F rocket carrying the Shenzhou XVIII spacecraft with three astronauts aboard blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China at 8:59 pm on Thursday.
After separating from the rocket and entering orbit, the spacecraft was scheduled to conduct a fast automated rendezvous and docking procedure with the Tiangong space station. It was to dock with the radial port of the space station's core module Tianhe, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, thereby forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft, including the Shenzhou XVII spacecraft.
It is China's first manned mission ever launched in April, which is typically the windiest and sandiest month at the launch center, so the meteorological staff analyzed April wind speed data from the past 10 years and mapped out multiple contingency plans for the launch.
The Shenzhou XVIII crew members are Senior Colonel Ye Guangfu, who is the mission commander, Colonel Li Cong and Colonel Li Guangsu. After their peers from the Shenzhou XVII mission hand over the massive orbital outpost, the Shenzhou XVII crew will return to the Dongfeng landing site on Tuesday.
Shenzhou XVIII is the 32nd flight mission of China's manned space program, and the third crewed mission during the application and development stage of China's space station.
Yang Liwei, China's first astronaut in space and now one of the chief planners of the nation's manned space program, said he has high expectations for the post-1980 generation crew.
"It's such a pleasure to see the young astronauts can now carry out manned space missions and take on the heavy responsibilities. I am sure the Shenzhou XVIII crew will do well, although the mission has become more complicated and tougher," Yang said at the launch center on Wednesday afternoon.
Yang noted that it has been 21 years since he completed the Shenzhou V mission in 2003, during which he traveled in space for 21 hours and orbited Earth 14 times.
"Since then, China's manned space programs have made steady and solid progress according to the plan. Currently, the operation of the space station has been normalized," Yang said.
Lin, the China Manned Space Agency deputy director, said the Shenzhou XVIII crew will use the scientific experiment cabinets and extravehicular payloads to carry out more than 90 experiments involving microgravity, material science, life science, medicine and technology.
Besides conducting China's first research on a self-cycling aquatic ecosystem, consisting of goldfish algae and zebrafish in orbit, the crew will also carry out the world's first in-orbit stem cell study to explore plants' evolutionary adaptation to gravity and provide theoretical support for space crops, he added.
Lin said the Shenzhou XVIII astronauts will carry out two or three extravehicular activities and conduct six cargo outbound deliveries via the station's cargo airlock module. During the extravehicular activities, the astronauts will install space debris protection reinforcements for extravehicular piping, cables and critical equipment, and will conduct inspections, as appropriate, to further safeguard the safety of the space station.
The Shenzhou XVIII crew members are scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site in late October after six months in space.
Reporter: Cui Jia

TikTok, owned by Chinese tech company ByteDance, said it will go to court to challenge the legislation, which was signed by the United States President Joe Biden and requires ByteDance to sell its stake in the app or it will be blocked in the country.
中国科技公司字节跳动旗下的TikTok表示将向法院提起诉讼，以挑战美国总统签署的一项法律，该法律要求字节跳动出售其在该应用中的股份，否则该应用将在美国被禁用。
"This unconstitutional law is a TikTok ban, and we will challenge it in court. We believe the facts and the law are clearly on our side, and we will ultimately prevail. The fact is, we have invested billions of dollars to keep US data safe and our platform free from outside influence and manipulation," TikTok said in a statement on Wednesday night.
“这项违宪的法律是TikTok禁令，我们将在法庭上对此提出挑战。我们相信事实和法律显然是站在我们这一边，最终我们将取得胜利。事实上，我们已经投入了数十亿美元来确保美国数据的安全，保护我们的平台远离外部影响和操纵，”TikTok在周三晚间的一份声明中说。
"This ban would devastate 7 million businesses and silence 170 million Americans. As we continue to challenge this unconstitutional ban, we will continue investing and innovating to ensure TikTok remains a space where Americans of all walks of life can safely come to share their experiences, find joy, and be inspired," it added.
“这项禁令将摧毁700万家企业，并使1.7亿美国人噤声。在我们继续挑战这项违宪禁令的同时，我们将继续投资和创新，以确保TikTok仍然是一个所有美国人都可以安全地分享他们的经验、找到快乐和灵感的空间，”声明补充道。
The legislation signed by Biden gives ByteDance nine months to sell TikTok, with a possible three-month extension if a sale is in progress.
拜登签署的法律给字节跳动 9个月的时间用来出售TikTok，如果出售正在进行，则有可能延长3个月。
The US Senate passed legislation on Tuesday requiring the popular social media app TikTok to be divested from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or be shut out of the US market.
美国参议院周二通过立法，要求热门社交媒体应用TikTok从其中国母公司字节跳动剥离，否则将被禁止进入美国市场。
"Make no mistake, this is a ban. A ban on TikTok and a ban on you and your voice," TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew said in a two-minute video posted on the platform. "It's obviously a disappointing moment but it does not need to be a defining one," Chew said, adding "Rest assured, we aren't going anywhere."
TikTok首席执行官周受资在平台上发布的一段两分钟视频中说，“毫无疑问，这是一项禁令。禁止TikTok，也禁止你和你的声音，”周受资还说，“这显然是一个令人失望的时刻，但这并不一定是一个决定性时刻，”并补充道，“请放心，我们不会离开。”
"We are confident and we will keep fighting for your rights in the courts. The facts and the US Constitution are on our side, and we expect to prevail again."
“我们有信心，我们将继续在法庭上为你们的权利而战，事实和宪法都站在我们这一边，我们期待再次获胜。”

The three post-1980 generation crew members of the Shenzhou XVIII mission said on Wednesday that their similar professional backgrounds and mutual trust will help them complete all the objectives set for the mission.
2024年2月24日，神舟18号的三名80后航天员表示，他们相似的专业背景和相互信任将有助于他们完成任务所设定的所有目标。
The Long March 2F rocket carrying the astronauts aboard the Shen­zhou XVIII spacecraft is set to lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China at 8:59 pm on Thursday, Lin Xi­qiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency and spokesman for the mission, said during a news conference on Wednesday at the launch center.
24日，在酒泉卫星发射中心举行的新闻发布会上，中国载人航天工程副主任、任务发言人林西强表示，长征2F运载火箭将于25日晚8点59分在中国西北部的酒泉卫星发射中心发射，搭载神舟18号航天员。
The crew members are Senior Colonel Ye Guangfu, who is the mission commander, Colonel Li Cong and Colonel Li Guangsu. Ye was also a crew member of the Shen­zhou XIII mission that returned in April 2022, while Li Cong and Li Guangsu will be making their first spaceflight.
神州18号的机组成员是叶光富、李聪、李广苏，叶光富担任指令长。叶光富是2022年4月返回的神舟13号任务的机组成员，而李聪和李光肃将进行他们首飞。
Ye, 43, said that unlike his first mission, which was full of excitement because it fulfilled his dream of becoming an astronaut, this trip will require him to bear greater responsibility as mission commander.
43岁的叶光富表示，他对神州13号的任务充满了兴奋，因为它实现了他成为一名宇航员的梦想；与之不同，神州18号任务将要求他作为任务指挥官承担更大的责任。
Nonetheless, Ye said while meeting the media at the launch center on Wednesday, "Every mission to space is a new start."
尽管如此，叶光富在发射中心会见媒体时表示，“每一次太空任务都是一个新的开始。”
"Besides recovering, I also had to return to training in the past two years. And the structure of the space station is new to me and more complicated to operate. Also, leading a team is another new challenge," he added.
“在过去的两年里，除了恢复我并没有放弃训练。空间站的结构对我来说是新的，操作起来更复杂。此外，领导一个团队是另一个新的挑战。”。
All of the crew members were trained as pilots in the People's Liberation Army Air Force and share other similarities in age and experience, said Li Cong, who is 34.
34岁的李聪说，所有机组人员都在中国人民解放军空军接受过飞行员训练，在年龄和经验上都有相似之处。
"To ensure the smooth running of the space station with complicated operation systems, all the operations must be precise, and the mutual trust of the crew members is required," he said.
“为了确保操作系统复杂的空间站的顺利运行，所有的操作都必须精确，并且需要机组人员的相互信任。”
Li Guangsu, who is 36, will be responsible for conducting experiments in space. He said he is looking forward to experiencing life in weightless conditions.
36岁的李光肃将负责进行太空实验。他说，他期待着体验失重状态下的生活。
"Besides work, I also want to take a good look at the beautiful blue planet and our country. Furthermore, I want to see if the stars do twinkle, for my child," he added.
“除了工作，我还想好好看看这个美丽的蓝色星球和我们的国家。此外，我还想为我的孩子看看星星是否会闪烁。”
Lin, the China Manned Space Agency deputy director, said the main objectives set for the mission include the handover of the space station from the Shenzhou XVII crew and carrying out a series of experiments and missions during the new

Beijing hopes that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China will help effectively manage differences between the two countries, strengthen dialogue and advance mutually beneficial cooperation, said an official with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs.
While briefing the media on Blinken's three-day visit, which will start on Wednesday, the official, who declined to be named, said that Beijing urges Washington to turn the commitments made by United States President Joe Biden into concrete actions.
During a telephone conversation with President Xi Jinping on April 2, Biden reiterated that the US does not seek a new Cold War, and that its objective is not to change China's system, its alliances do not target China, the US does not support "Taiwan independence", and it does not seek conflict with China. The US also doesn't want to curtail China's development and doesn't seek "decoupling" from China, he added.
Noting that China's door for dialogue and communication has always been open, the official said the US must be aware that communication should not be conducted for its own sake, and that Washington should not always say one thing but do another. The US should also abandon the illusion of dealing with China from a position of strength, the official added.
There were, are and will be differences between China and the US, but these differences should not dominate the bilateral relationship, the official said.
The official urged the US not to cross China's red lines on the Taiwan question or on issues related to human rights, the political system and development rights.
While calling China's determination and will to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests unwavering, the official said the Chinese side will use Blinken's visit to firmly articulate its position and make clear demands to the US on the Taiwan question and the issues of economy and trade, technology and the South China Sea.
"We firmly oppose the politicization of economic, trade and technological issues by the US. We also warn the US that suppressing Chinese technology is tantamount to restraining China's high-quality development and depriving the Chinese people of their legitimate right to development. China will resolutely respond to this," the official said.
The official also voiced China's firm opposition to US intervention on the South China Sea issue and sowing discord between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The US is not a party to the South China Sea issue and should not intervene, let alone disrupt the situation, the official said.
Regarding the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflict, the official urged the US to fulfill its international responsibilities, support United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728, and work toward achieving an immediate and full cease-fire in the Gaza Strip to rescue the Palestinian people from the dire situation, the official said.
Regarding the Ukraine crisis, the official said the US needs to refrain from adding fuel to the fire or seeking to benefit from the situation, refrain from attacking and smearing the normal state-to-state relations between China and Russia, and avoid stirring up bloc confrontation, the official added.
The official also expressed concerns about US deployment of intermediate-range missile launch systems in the Philippines, saying that the move has heightened regional tension and increased the risk of misunderstanding and misjudgment.