Malaysia plans ‘orangutan diplomacy’ inspired by Chinese ‘panda diplomacy’

MMalaysia plans to donate orangutans to key buyers of palm oil, a product long blamed for destroying the endangered apes’ habitats.

The world’s second-largest palm grower is taking inspiration from China’s ‘Panda Diplomacy’ and is considering donating the orange-haired mammals to some of its trading partners, including the European Union, as part of the country’s ‘strategic diplomatic move’.

Read more: How pandas are becoming a tool of Chinese diplomacy

“This will be a manifestation of how Malaysia is conserving wildlife and ensuring the sustainability of our forests, especially within the oil palm plantation landscape,” said Johari Abdul Ghani, Minister of Plantations and Resources of the Southeast Asian country, in a post on X. prove to the world that Malaysia is committed to biodiversity conservation, he said.

The idea follows accusations and restrictions from some palm oil importers, such as Europe, that its cultivation is destroying rainforests, driving endangered animals to extinction, and linked to labor abuses. Environmental groups have stepped up monitoring of harvests, while the EU is introducing rules to prevent products that cause deforestation from being sold in stores.

“Malaysia should not take a defensive stance on palm oil,” Johari said. “Instead, we must show the world that Malaysia is a producer of sustainable palm oil and is committed to forest conservation and environmental sustainability.”

Indonesia and Malaysia, the world’s largest palm oil producers that together account for about 85% of global production, have pledged to work together to counter “anti-palm oil campaigns” by some Western countries. Palm oil is a versatile ingredient found in products such as pizza, instant noodles and shampoo.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, orangutans are found in the rainforests of the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The great apes are critically endangered – with an estimated population of around 120,000 – and threatened by rapid deforestation, mainly due to palm oil and other agricultural plantations, the organization said.