Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

In response to whether China has plans to carry out international cooperation with Japan on giant panda conservation since the twin pandas at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Japan are scheduled to return to China in late January, and Japan will be left without any giant pandas; Japanese people love giant pandas very much and hope to continue renting them from China in the future, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, stated Monday at a regular press conference that "Regarding the specific question you raised, it is recommended that you refer the matter to the competent Chinese authorities for inquiry."

Global Times