Xi welcomes birth of panda cub in Dutch zoo

President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan exchanged congratulatory letters with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima on the birth of a panda cub in the Netherlands.

According to letters released on Thursday, Xi and Peng said that the panda cub is an important outcome of the two countries' dedication to the protection of biological diversity, which deserves celebration.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese and Dutch governments and people have supported and helped each other in fighting the disease, they said.

Noting that China attaches great importance to the development of bilateral relations, they said that China would like to make joint efforts with the Netherlands to coordinate disease prevention and control with bilateral cooperation and lift bilateral ties to new levels.

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima said in their congratulatory letter that the birth of the panda cub is a symbol of the fruitful outcomes of Netherlands-China relations and a contribution to global biological diversity.

The Netherlands pays great attention to cooperation with China on fighting COVID-19, and only through unity and cooperation will the world overcome it, they said.

Relations between the Netherlands and China have a solid foundation, and the Netherlands would like to work together with China to defeat the disease and restore normal bilateral exchanges as soon as possible, they added.

In April 2017, a pair of pandas, male Xing Ya and female Wu Wen, arrived at Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands. Last month, Wu Wen gave birth to a baby cub at the zoo.

According to the arrangement with China, the cub can stay in the Netherlands for four years. After that, it will move to China. Just like its parents, the giant panda cub is owned by China.