United Technologies Donates Money to Panda CenterThe United Technologies of the United States has donated 100,000 yuan (US$ 12,000) to the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.Karl Krapek, CEO and president of United Technologies, presented the donation to Zhang Hemin, director of the research center on Tuesday. He said the donation represents his staff' affection for the cute creature and their support to the center's research and protection of giant pandas. He said his company is not only doing business in China, but also has the obligation to care for the country's endangered animals. Five years ago, the company established a joint venture with the Chengdu Engine Group Corp. LTD and the Second Group Company of China Aviation Industries. The venture has been operating well. Last year, United Technologies' "cooperation investment" to China amounted to 300 million U.S. dollars, establishing more than 20 joint ventures or cooperative projects and launching scholarships in eight prestigious Chinese universities such as Qinghua and Tongji. The 30-hectare Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Research Center is located at the Wolong Nature Reserve in the northern suburbs of Chengdu. It was created by the Chinese government and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in 1980 and has successfully bred 24 giant pandas since 1991, of which 15 survived. There are only about 1, 000 giant pandas, both in captivity and in the wild, in the world, 80 percent of which live in the mountainous areas of Sichuan. |
| Please visit People's Daily Online --- http://www.peopledaily.com.cn/english/ |