Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that any giant panda born in the United States should belong to the United States and the United States should seek the coordination of its allies to establish collaborative giant panda breeding programs.

Bill: 117-hres-897
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Mace, Nancy [R-SC-1]
Introduced: 2022-02-01
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2022-02-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-02-01
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that (1) any giant panda born in the United States should belong to the United States, and (2) the United States should seek the coordination of its allies to establish collaborative giant panda breeding programs.</p>

tv_txt: IV 117th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 897 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 1, 2022 Ms. Mace submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that any giant panda born in the United States should belong to the United States and the United States should seek the coordination of its allies to establish collaborative giant panda breeding programs.

Whereas the Chinese state has systematically leveraged giant pandas for diplomatic purposes, including gaining favor in countries of economic interest and value; Whereas China now loans giant pandas to foreign countries in exchange for a fee of $500,000 per panda, and the foreign country must agree to return such panda to China; Whereas, as of May 2019, China had loaned giant pandas to approximately 22 zoos located in 18 different countries; Whereas under the giant panda loan agreements between the United States and China, the United States— (1) bears the cost of caring for each giant panda in its possession, including costs relating to breeding; and (2) may not negotiate the ownership of giant pandas born as the result of such breeding; Whereas, on January 19, 2021, the Department of State determined China, under the direction and control of the Chinese Communist Party, committed crimes against humanity and genocide against the predominately Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang; Whereas, in December 2021, the United States announced that they will not send any official representation to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics due to such human rights violations; Whereas the People’s Liberation Army has and continues to threaten and intimidate Taiwan, one of the closest security partners and allies of the United States, with comprehensive live-fire exercises conducted by naval and air patrols in the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait; Whereas during the height of the 2019 prodemocracy protests in Hong Kong, President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China stated, [T]hose who engage in separatist activities in any part of China will be smashed into pieces. ; Whereas the Communist Party of China has been enriched by the gifting and leasing of giant pandas to the United States and other countries for decades; Whereas the United States plays an ongoing, vital role in conserving the endangered giant panda species through various breeding programs and is dedicated to repopulating the species; and Whereas prolonged studies of generations of pandas in United States zoos would lead to better scientific understanding of the species: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that— (1) any giant panda born in the United States should belong to the United States; and (2) the United States should seek the coordination of its allies to establish collaborative giant panda breeding programs.