Malaysia wants to offer orangutans to countries that buy palm oil from it

An initiative that aims to save a species threatened with extinction. Malaysia intends to offer orangutans to palm oil-buying countries, a program reminiscent of China’s “panda diplomacy”, a Malaysian minister reported on Wednesday (May 8). According to Minister of Raw Materials Johari Abdul Ghani, this initiative will show that“she is always committed to preserving biodiversity”he said, on X.

According to the NGO WWF, orangutans are critically endangered, threatened mainly by habitat loss “due to logging, agricultural expansion, particularly palm oil plantations, and infrastructure development.”

A “soft power” strategy

Palm oil is used in food (cakes, chocolate, margarine, etc.) and in cosmetics, soap and shampoo. Environmentalists point out that its production leads to the destruction of tropical forests in Malaysia and Indonesia, where the majority of world production comes from. Johari Abdul Ghani urged palm oil companies to collaborate with NGOs to contribute to the preservation of Malaysia’s wildlife and provide technical expertise on the matter.

For China, panda diplomacy is a form of “soft power”, a strategy of influence in international relations. It enters into loan agreements for its pandas with foreign zoos which, if born, generally have to return the little ursids a few years later so that they join the country’s breeding program.