San Francisco Mayor Heading to China, Emphasizing Tourism and ‘Panda Diplomacy’

London Breed says the 9-day trip builds on last year’s APEC summit in the Bay Area and Xi Jinping’s visit.
San Francisco Mayor Heading to China, Emphasizing Tourism and ‘Panda Diplomacy’
Mayor Breed has advocated hosting a giant panda at the San Francisco Zoo. Above, a giant panda at the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries in Sichuan, China, on July 17, 2017. Sophie Li/The Epoch Times
Sophie Li
Updated:

San Francisco Mayor London Breed is traveling to China for a nine-day trip to promote tourism and explore bringing pandas to the city.

The trip, scheduled from April 13 to April 21, is intended to strengthen San Francisco’s ties with its sister city, Shanghai. The mayor is also scheduled to make official stops in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Beijing.

“I am honored to be invited to travel to China and meet with leaders in business, innovation and government ... to cultivate economic opportunities and strengthen ties between San Francisco and cities across the region,” Ms. Breed told the San Francisco Standard, an online news outlet.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed attends an event held by Sen. Scott Weiner in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)
San Francisco Mayor London Breed attends an event held by Sen. Scott Weiner in San Francisco on Oct. 23, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Ms. Breed said the upcoming trip is a continuation of momentum generated for the city by last year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, following Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping’s visit to San Francisco, the news outlet reported.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, tourists from China were a significant economic driver for San Francisco, contributing more than $1 billion annually, with about half a million visitors, according to The Standard.

The mayor has also been advocating that a giant panda be hosted at the San Francisco Zoo for several months in collaboration with the China Wildlife Conservation Association. However, San Diego won the bid to host two, which are anticipated to arrive as early as the end of the summer, according to a February statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office.

China has a tradition of gifting or leasing pandas to foreign countries, known as “panda diplomacy.” The black and white bears have symbolized diplomatic ties between the U.S. and China since 1972, when China gifted a pair to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., during President Richard Nixon’s tenure.

However, in the late 1990s, China shifted toward a conservation-focused lease model for such exchanges, according to a 2022 report from the Congressional Research Service.

Now, a pair of pandas typically costs an annual fee of $1 million, with the funds allocated toward conservation efforts, according to the report.

The San Diego Zoo last hosted a pair of giant pandas five years ago, before they were returned to China.

In 2022 and 2023, Ms. Breed traveled to Europe and Israel to enhance tourism and foster other sister-city relationships, according to the San Francisco Standard. The upcoming trip will be her second time visiting China as mayor.

“We wish her a fruitful visit and hope the visit will further increase San Francisco’s cooperation with China and China-U.S. subnational exchanges,” Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said in a statement.

The trip is sponsored by the nonprofit San Francisco Special Events Committee. Its cost is unknown.

Sophie Li
Sophie Li
Author
Sophie Li is a Southern California-based reporter covering local daily news, state policies, and breaking news for The Epoch Times. Besides writing, she is also passionate about reading, photography, and tennis.