Instead of 'Panda,' Malaysia Offers 'Orangutan Diplomacy' as a Gift to Palm Oil Importing Countries

Malaysia, the World's Largest Palm Oil Producer
Intended to Quell Criticism Over Environmental Destruction

Inspired by China's 'Panda Diplomacy,' Malaysia is embarking on 'Orangutan Diplomacy.' To quell criticism over environmental destruction caused by its palm oil production, the country plans to gift orangutans to major palm oil importing nations.

According to major foreign media including Bloomberg on the 8th (local time), Johari Abdul Ghani, Malaysia's Minister of Industrial Products, stated on social media the day before, "As part of our diplomatic strategy, we plan to gift orangutans to trade partners, especially major importers such as the European Union (EU), India, and China," adding, "Through 'Orangutan Diplomacy,' we will prove to the international community that we are doing our best to preserve biodiversity."

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

'Orangutan Diplomacy' is a desperate measure following the EU's imposition of stringent regulations last year on major products produced in deforested areas. The EU has effectively banned the import and sale of palm oil, coffee, rubber, and other products linked to deforestation under the pretext of preventing forest degradation.

Palm oil is a vegetable oil extracted from palm trees and is inexpensive, making it widely used in the manufacture of various products such as ice cream, margarine, soap, and lipstick. However, environmental groups have criticized that tropical rainforests are being indiscriminately destroyed in the process of establishing palm oil plantations, causing habitats of endangered species like orangutans to disappear.

Indonesia and Malaysia, the world's largest palm oil producers, argue that claims of environmental destruction caused by palm oil production are unfounded and that the EU's import restrictions are discriminatory measures. Malaysia hoped to restore diplomatic relations and alleviate environmental concerns by gifting orangutans, but this move has also drawn criticism from wildlife protection organizations.

The international environmental organization World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) urged, "Wildlife should be preserved in their original habitats, not sent to other countries," and called for "securing safe corridors for orangutans within palm oil plantations and stopping the development of forests into palm oil plantations."

Meanwhile, orangutans, whose name means 'people of the forest,' are endangered species mainly found in the tropical rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra islands, where Malaysia and Indonesia are located, with an estimated population of about 120,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.