China to lend Thailand a new panda – PM

This handout from the Royal Thai Government taken and released on January 29, 2024 shows Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin (R) shaking hands with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Bangkok. (Photo by Handout / ROYAL THAI GOVERNMENT / AFP)

China has agreed to lend a new panda to Thailand and has expressed interest in the land bridge mega project, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said today, following his discussion with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

He said that the new panda, which was requested by Thailand, will be kept at the zoo in Chiang Mai.

Lin Hui was the last of three pandas loaned to Thailand by China in 2003. It died of old age at Chiang Mai zoo in April last year.

Regarding the land bridge project, the prime minister said that, during the discussion, Wang Yi mentioned that Thailand should have a deep-sea port, as envisioned in the land bridge project,…