Brigitte Macron baptizes panda

beauval - Brigitte Macron, the wife of the French president, christened a young panda at the Beauval Zoo (Loir-et-Cher) on Monday. The animal, a male, came into the world on the 4th of August and is now going through life as Yuan Meng. According to the newspaper Le Figaro, this means something like 'realizing a dream' or 'fulfilling a wish.'

'He was born here, but comes from somewhere else', La Première Dame declared the un-French name. This was also chosen by the Chinese authorities, who lent the parents of the little bear in 2012 for ten years to France. Brigitte Macron, with Peng Liyuan, the wife of the Chinese president Xi Jinping, became the godmother of the now well-arrived baby panda. At his birth, it weighed about 140 grams.

At the ceremony at the zoo, where Macron gave her first official speech, several French and Chinese political leaders were present. State Secretary for Foreign Affairs Zhang Yesui read a message on behalf of Peng, who could not attend. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron will visit China in early 2018.