THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2024 15 He lauded the department’s work to provide legal assistance to those who are persecuted, to train human rights defenders, and to secure the release of people in prison for exercising their rights to religious freedom, saying that over the last year, 47 such prisoners were freed. The report is produced by the Office of International Religious Freedom, whose mission is to promote universal respect for freedom of religion or belief as a core objective of U.S. foreign policy. The office monitors global religious freedom, developing and implementing policies and programs to address related concerns. The 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom can be accessed on the Department of State’s website. Secretary Grew’s Address 100 Years Ago However, in whatever degree that prejudice [between the consular and diplomatic services] existed, we now confidently look forward to seeing it completely demolished. We are all members of one big organization, serving the Government with one single intent, namely, to advance its interests in the highest possible degree. And whatever duties we are severally fulfilling, however diverse may be the functions of one office or officer from another, we must now establish and build up a single esprit de corps for our united service, which will yield in point of service pride and practical patriotism not only to no other service under the United States Government, but to no other service under the sun. Cooperation will yield its due practical results and through high service spirit we shall attain to high service efficiency. We have a great future before us and let us not forget that our organization must and will be not only cooperative and efficient, but democratic, representative, patriotic and, above all, wholly and essentially American. —Joseph Clark Grew, U.S. Under Secretary of State, in the American Consular Bulletin (precursor to the FSJ), September 1924. Panda Diplomacy: Meet Bao Li and Qing Bao The Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has announced the exciting return of giant pandas to the capital. Two young giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, are set to arrive from China later this year. Bao Li, a 2-year-old male, has a special connection to the zoo. He is the son of Bao Bao, who was born there in 2013. His grandparents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, were beloved residents of the zoo for more than two decades before their departure last year. Qing Bao, a 2-year-old female, will join Bao Li there. The announcement was made by Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng: “For the well-being of both peoples, and the future of the world, China and the United States should choose to be partners, not rivals,” he said. The Smithsonian has had a long-standing tradition of panda diplomacy, a practice that began in 1972 when China gifted two pandas, Ling-Ling and HsingHsing, to the U.S. as a gesture of goodwill following President Richard Nixon’s visit to China. Over the years, panda diplomacy has evolved, with pandas now being loaned to zoos worldwide as a part of a global conservation effort. These efforts have led to scientific advancements in panda breeding and habitat conservation. The pandas are coming on a 10-year lease, with the zoo paying $1 million annually to the China Wildlife and Conservation Association. The zoo is currently renovating its panda habitat and plans to restart the “giant panda cam.” A $25 million fundraising drive has been launched to support these efforts and the overall panda program. Read about one diplomat’s experience serving in Chengdu—“the panda post”— in the March 2024 FSJ. Female giant panda Qing Bao at Dujiangyan Panda Base in Sichuan, China. SMITHSONIAN’S NATIONAL ZOO AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE/ ROSHAN PATEL
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