Hong Kong will roll out the red carpet Thursday to receive two giant pandas gifted by the Chinese government to mark 75 years of Communist Party rule, part of a citywide push by authorities to deepen patriotism.

An An and Ke Ke, both five years old, are expected to land shortly after noon at Hong Kong International Airport, where they will be greeted with a welcoming ceremony.

But fans hoping to catch a glimpse of them will have to wait for at least a month, as they will spend the next 30 days in quarantine in the southern Chinese city.

Elite police motorcyclists, who normally escort visiting VIPs, will reportedly usher them to their new home across town at Ocean Park, where the pair will join four other pandas at the theme park.

An An and Ke Ke arrive from a breeding center in mainland China’s Sichuan province. Staff in the metropolis of Chengdu sprung into action as early as 2 a.m. to ferry the pandas to the airport for the 1,350-kilometer (840-mile) journey, carried in crates with a supply of snacks.

They used forklifts to load the duo onto a truck, as a line of staff bade farewell from the curb, according to footage from Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK.

A panda keeper from Ocean Park has been in Chengdu since July to enable the bears to acclimatize to his scent and voice, the theme park said on its Instagram page, adding that staff had also introduced bamboo from southern China to their diet.

An An, a male weighing 130 kilograms, is “strong, nimble and clever,” while Ke Ke, a female weighing 100 kilograms, is “good at climbing, gentle and cute,” the city’s Chief Executive John Lee told at a press conference on Tuesday.

They bring the total number of pandas in the city to six, joining Le Le and Ying Ying who were gifted to Hong Kong in 2007. Ying Ying made headlines in August by giving birth to twins, making her the oldest known first-time panda mother.

‘Panda diplomacy’

While these animals are not leaving China, their journey does carry an undertone of “panda diplomacy.” Beijing loans pandas to more than 20 countries as envoys of friendship, which is at times seen as a barometer of relations.

Similarly, An An and Ke Ke’s arrival in Hong Kong has a political objective, coming as Hong Kong officials drum up enthusiasm for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the of People’s Republic of China on October 1.

“I would like to once again express my sincere gratitude to the central government for its care and support for Hong Kong for gifting two beloved and energetic giant pandas to Hong Kong,” Lee said on Tuesday.

Activists in Hong Kong used to protest for greater democracy on October 1. But crackdowns by city authorities have left opposition figures largely in jail or exile since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020.

Chinese and Hong Kong officials say the law has helped return the financial hub to stability following mass protests in 2019. They have vowed to instill a new culture of Chinese patriotism among Hong Kongers and crack down on what they call “foreign interference.”

The US government, its allies and human rights groups have criticized the national security crackdown for eroding individual freedoms and ending the international business hub’s once outspoken and freewheeling culture.

Ahead of this year’s celebrations, Chinese flags are up in many parts of the city alongside giant billboards hailing the anniversary with preparations underway for a litany of events aimed at boosting patriotism, including a lengthy fireworks show on Tuesday evening.

Kevin Yeung, the city’s minister for culture, sports and tourism, said Wednesday he hoped the pandas’ arrival “can make Hong Kong feel more deeply about the care of the central government.”

When award-winning actress Meryl Streep spoke on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly about cats, squirrels and birds, she wasn’t making a point about hunters and prey.

She was comparing all three with women and girls in Afghanistan – and pointing out that the animals have more rights.

“A cat may feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park… A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not, and a woman may not in public. This is extraordinary,” Streep said on Monday. “This is a suppression of the natural law. This is odd.”

As Streep’s words ricocheted around social media, four countries stepped forward to announce “unprecedented” action against the ruling Taliban for its “systematic oppression” of women and girls.

Germany, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands on Thursday accused the hardline Islamist group of violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The convention was ratified by the previous Afghan government in 2003, well before the Taliban re-seized power three years ago after the withdrawal of the United States and its allies following a 20-year war.

“We know that women and girls of Afghanistan are effectively being erased from public life by the various edicts the Taliban have issued,” Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in New York.

“The steps we are taking with Germany, Canada and the Netherlands are unprecedented.”

Tightening restrictions

Since taking power, the Taliban has gradually tightened restrictions on women and girls.

They are no longer allowed to work or study beyond grade 6. Their bodies must be fully covered, and they are forbidden to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.

The Taliban’s latest edicts last month, referred to by Streep, include the demand for women and girls to remain silent in public.

According to the Taliban’s own strict interpretation of Islam, a woman’s voice is deemed intimate and so should not be heard singing, reciting, or reading out loud.

This systematic oppression of women and girls, also alleged by the UN, has fueled a mental health crisis in Afghanistan’s female population.

Depression among women and girls is rising, according to health experts and rights activists – leading to a surge in suicide and suicide attempts.

Human Rights Watch says the legal move by the four Western nations could lead to proceedings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

As a signatory to CEDAW, Afghanistan is expected to respond to the complaint.

However, the document was signed by the previous government, and so far, the Taliban has shown no sign of changing its stance despite international condemnation.

The Taliban government has yet to respond to the CEDAW action.

“Erasure of an entire gender”

Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan member of parliament, told Amanpour the Taliban had “failed to understand that Afghanistan has transformed.”

Despite the Taliban’s efforts to erase them, she said women were fighting to have their voices heard.

After the Taliban banned women’s voices in public, some posted videos of themselves to social media, singing in defiance.

“That is a sign of a different Afghanistan that the Taliban don’t get,” said Koofi. “Today, every woman in Afghanistan is a journalist, every woman in Afghanistan is a TV, by talking about what their experience is.”

Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the action by Germany and its partners may mark the beginning of the path to justice for the Taliban’s “egregious human rights violations against Afghan women and girls.”

“It is vitally important for other countries to register their support for this action and for them to involve Afghan women as the process moves forward,” she said.