• About
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • Home 1
  • Submit a Story
  • Submit a Story
  • USCBC Podcasts
China Business Review
  • Operations
    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Brave New Business Models Making Waves in China’s Ecommerce Market

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Handshake that Changed the World

    President Carter and Vice Premier Deng at the Performance of American Arts

    January 29, 1979 Performance of American Arts for Deng Xiaoping

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Managing Risk in the “New Era”

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    Design Patents vs. Trade Dress: Protecting IP in China

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    As China Emerges from COVID-19, US Companies Invest to Compete

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Inside the Mad Rush for Masks – Anatomy of a 10 Million Mask Order

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    Addressing Risk in the Era of US-China “Great Power” Competition

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

  • Politics
    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    China Eyes Further Northeast Asian Economic Integration in RCEP

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    A Game of Chicken

    A Game of Chicken

  • Tech
    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    Export Controls on Emerging and Foundational Technologies: A Null Set?

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    How Companies Are Reacting to China’s New Data Security Scheme

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    China’s Participation in International Standards Setting: Benefits and Concerns for US Industry

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Brave New Business Models Making Waves in China’s Ecommerce Market

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Defining “Emerging Technologies”: Industry Weighs In on Potential New Export Controls

    Trending Tags

    • Intellectual Property
    • innovation
    • cybersecurity
    • ecommerce
    • tech
  • Society
    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    COVID-19 Could Doom or Deliver US-China Commercial Relations

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    The Year in Social Credit: Where is Corporate Social Credit Going in 2020 and Beyond?

    Open Government Developments in China: Implications for US Businesses

    The Hidden Challenges of China’s Booming Medical AI Market

    The Handshake that Changed the World

    President Carter and Vice Premier Deng at the Performance of American Arts

    January 29, 1979 Performance of American Arts for Deng Xiaoping

  • Media

    Gallery: Craig Allen’s Trip to China

    USCBC 45th Annual Membership Meeting

    USCBC 45th Anniversary DC Open House

    USCBC President’s China Visit

    USCBC Hosts Business Roundtable with Zhejiang Party Secretary Che Jun

    USCBC hosts Comprehensive Economic Dialogue (CED) Luncheon

  • Podcasts
No Result
View All Result
China Business Review
No Result
View All Result
Home Uncategorized

Flying on the Panda Express

USCBC by USCBC
March 1, 2010
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterLinkedin

Washington, DC, experienced a big event in February, even before the record-breaking snow storms hit—the departure of the city’s beloved panda, Tai Shan, who was born at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in July 2005. Like his parents Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, Tai Shan had been on loan from China as part of a panda conservation program. The National Zoo was able to extend Tai Shan’s contract twice, which lengthened his stay in Washington by two-and-a-half years. But on February 4, Tai Shan and Mei Lan, a three-year-old female panda born at Zoo Atlanta under a similar program, journeyed to China.

Tai Shan and Mei Lan left Washington on a FedEx Express 777 Freighter (777F), the world’s largest twin-engine cargo aircraft. FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., donated transportation services for the trip—including ground and logistical support in Washington and Atlanta and domestic and international air transport. The 777F, named the “FedEx Panda Express” because of the custom panda decals on the plane’s fuselage, flew nonstop from Washington to Chengdu, Sichuan, in 14.5 hours. (In December 2000, FedEx brought Tai Shan’s parents to Washington on a 17-hour trans-Pacific journey aboard an MD-11, which stopped in Anchorage, Alaska, for refueling.)

In addition to the pandas and their “luggage,” three animal care experts—two from the National Zoo and one from Zoo Atlanta—accompanied the pandas on the flight. A special FedEx crewmember, known as the loadmaster, also traveled with the pandas to ensure that the best conditions were maintained in the cargo section of the aircraft. Tai Shan and Mei Lan each had separate, large travel containers filled with 75 kg of bamboo, water, and fruit. FedEx funded the two custom-built travel crates for the pandas. Weighing more than 1,300 lbs, each steel crate had thick plexiglass sides that allowed the pandas to see outside the crate. The crates also had interior and exterior doors at each end that slid up and down, which allowed caretakers to feed the pandas during the flight.

FedEx Express Chief Operating Officer and US-China Business Council Board Director Mike Ducker, who watched as Mei Lan departed on her trip to China, said “I’m incredibly proud that FedEx Express was entrusted with transporting this precious cargo as part of the global effort to preserve an endangered species. FedEx started operations in China more than 25 years ago, and we look forward to having many more milestones there as we continue to facilitate US-China trade.”

According to the National Zoo, Tai Shan did exceptionally well on the trip. Karin Korpowski-Gallo, senior public affairs specialist at the National Zoo, explained that the zoo’s panda-care staff had been preparing Tai Shan for his departure since the day he was born:

They exposed him to a variety of sounds, people, small spaces, and experiences that made Tai Shan a very confident and easygoing bear. This training paid off with the ease of his transition to China. He was happy and calm throughout the entire trip and was eating well in his new home. Seeing Tai Shan so at ease helped Nicole Meese, the animal keeper who was with Tai Shan for the trip to China, know he was going to continue to thrive as he has done in his years with the National Zoo. Of course it was sad to see him go, and there were tears here from many staff, but everyone who has worked with Tai Shan over the years in DC was very proud of the wonderful job they did raising him to be healthy, independent, and confident.

After an arrival ceremony in Chengdu, the China Wildlife Conservation Association received Tai Shan, who will live at the China Conservation and Research Center’s Wolong Bifengxia Base in Ya’an, Sichuan. The Chinese Association of Zoological Gardens took Mei Lan, who will live at the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding.

Meanwhile, the National Zoo’s 10-year loan agreement with China for Mei Xiang and Tian Tian expires in December. The National Zoo says that negotiations to extend the pandas’ stay will not begin until late spring or early summer. But the zoo is “honored and happy to work in partnership with the Chinese on panda conservation and is confident that giant pandas will remain at the National Zoo for years to come,” Korpowski-Gallo said.

[author]Paula M. Miller is associate editor of the China Business Review.[/author]

Tags: Company Profile
USCBC

USCBC

Next Post

Transferring Technology to Transform China—Is It Worth It?

Recommended.

How Biden’s Economic Team Views China Trade Policy

January 14, 2021

Hong Kong’s National Security Law, Five Months In

November 25, 2020

China Implements its Long-Awaited Unreliable Entities List Mechanism

October 7, 2020

Competing WTO Reform Agendas and the Contest for the Next Director-General

September 22, 2020

Latest Podcasts.

A look at China’s recent spate of bond defaults

January 22, 2021

A COVID update, a record trade surplus, and new PRCG personnel

January 19, 2021

New MOFCOM rules on extraterritorial application of foreign laws

January 12, 2021

The EU-China agreement and a look at other market liberalizations

January 6, 2021
China Business Review

China Business Review is the official magazine of the US-China Business Council, a nonprofit and nonpartisan trade association that represents more than 200 American companies doing business in China.

  • How to contribute to China Business Review

Categories

  • Bilateral Relations
  • Business Etiquette
  • CBR Spotlight
  • China Deals
  • Corruption
  • Cybersecurity
  • Ecommerce
  • Environment
  • Finance
  • Galleries
  • Getting Started
  • HR & Staffing
  • Infographics
  • Innovation
  • Intellectual Property
  • Management
  • Media
  • Operations
  • Opinion
  • Policy & Regulations
  • Politics
  • PR & Marketing
  • Rural Issues
  • Safety
  • Social Policy
  • Society
  • Standards + Licensing
  • Sustainability
  • Tax
  • Tech
  • Top Story
  • Trade
  • Uncategorized
  • US-China Business Council
  • Videos

Tags

Agreements Agriculture Alibaba Best Practices Business Environment China China's Investments Abroad China Market Intelligence Chinese Consumers Chinese Investment Commentary Consumer Trends E-Commerce Economic Trends Energy Environment Events Food Foreign Investment Going Global Healthcare Reform Human Resources Infrastructure Internet Interview Investment Investments into China IPO Joint Venture Labor Legal Analysis M&A Manufacturing Media National People's Congress Q&A Strategic and Economic Dialogue Supply Chains Technology Trade Transparency US-China Relations USCBC US Exports to China Xi Jinping

Join our Mailing List

Sign up for the US-China Business Council's newsletters to stay ahead of the game with roundups, analysis, and commentary.

Sign Up

Follow Us

  • About
  • Archive
  • Contact
  • Home 1
  • Submit a Story
  • Submit a Story
  • USCBC Podcasts

© 2020 China Business Review

No Result
View All Result
  • Operations
  • Politics
  • Tech
  • Society
  • Media
  • Podcasts

© 2020 China Business Review