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Overview

China leases two giant pandas to Qatar

Commitment Year•2022Country of Activity•QatarDirect Recipient Country of Incorporation•QatarSector•Other Social Infrastructure And ServicesFlow Type•Loan

Status

Project lifecycle

Implementation

Pipeline: PledgePipeline: CommitmentImplementationCompletion

Timeline

Key dates

Commitment date
Oct 19, 2022

Stakeholders

Organizations involved in projects and activities supported by financial and in-kind transfers from Chinese government and state-owned entities

Ultimate beneficial owners

At least 25% host country ownership

Funding agencies

Government Agencies

  • Unspecified Chinese Government Institution

Receiving agencies

Government Agencies

  • Government of Qatar

Loan description

China leases two giant pandas to Qatar

Interest type•Unknown

Narrative

Full Description

Project narrative

On October 19, 2022, the Chinese government leased two giant pandas to Qatar as a gift before the 2022 Fifa World Cup, which was held in Doha. Jing Jing, a 4-year-old male weighing 120 kilograms (265 pounds), has been given the Arabic name Suhail, and 3-year-old female Si Hai, at 70 kilograms (154 pounds), has been given the Arabic name Thuraya. They were housed in an indoor enclosure intended to replicate the environment of Sichuan province. The Chinese government also pledged to fly in 800kg (~1,800 pounds) of fresh bamboo per week. Although the specific terms of this transaction are currently unknown, standard terms of Chinese giant panda leases include a ten year period, fee of up to $1 million per year, and a provision that all pandas born during the period of the lease remain Chinese state property.