When Chinese president Hu Jintao arrived in Singapore for a state visit this week, he announced China's favorite diplomatic gift — two pandas — but chose his words very carefully.Hu spoke of the two nations' “close friendship” and “cultural ties,” but avoided any mention of a shared ethnic heritage in a nod to sensitivities in a region with long ties to China, and an equally long wariness of Chinese domination. The pandas would be a “fitting symbol of the close friendship and strong ties between Singapore and China as we celebrate 20 years of diplomatic relations next year,” Singapore's foreign ministry said.
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