New Round Of US-China Panda "Dimacy", Beijing Sends Two Young Giant Pandas To Washington Later This Year

JAKARTA - The United States National Zoo on Wednesday announced China would send two young giant pandas to Washington, a new chapter of panda diplomacy between the two countries, months after the zoo repatriated three bears amid rising tensions between the two countries.

The announcement follows growing engagement between Washington and Beijing, making relations between the two superpowers more stable, having hit a low in history last year.

The National Zoo said in a statement it would welcome a pair of pandas named Bao Li and Qing Bao to Washington by the end of this year.

China's Ambassador to AS Xie Feng encourages people to "pay attention to China-US relations like you care about pandas."

"For the sake of the welfare of the two nations and the future of the world, China and the United States must choose to become partners, not rivals. Panda lovers should not be stigmatized. If there must be protectionism, then let's protect biodiversity," said Ambassador Xie, as reported by Reuters on May 30.

Meanwhile, Brandie Smith's Director of Forestry's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) said the agency was very happy with the continuation of its breeding and conservation partnerships, noting that one of the pandas was a panda descendant who was previously in Washington.

"This historic moment is clear evidence that our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has had an undeniable impact," Smith said.

Bao Li is a two-year-old male panda. His mother was born in the institution in 2013 and his grandparents Tian and Mei Xiang lived in NZCBI from 2000 to 2023.

Meanwhile, Qing Bao is a two-year-old female panda who was born to the pair Qing Qing and Jia Mei.

Wednesday's announcement is a clear signal of Beijing's approval of a stable relationship with Washington.

Ambassador Xie told Reuters after the event the new panda cooperation agreement was a "very good sign" for US-Chinese relations.

Later, once they arrive, the panda pair will be quarantined for 30 days and then have a few more weeks to adapt to their new habitat, the zoo said. The date of public debut has not been set.

Previously, the departure of three pandas from the zoo last November as the loan agreement expired, leaving the Atlanta Zoo in Georgia the only zoo in the US to have a giant panda, and the loan agreement will expire later this year. The San Diego Zoo will also welcome two other pandas.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has hinted at being open to sending more "friendly breaks" to the US after meeting President Joe Biden in November in California, where the two leaders agreed to increase communication even though geopolitical competition is increasing.

Xi's remarks prompted the White House to say by then the US would "completely welcome" the bears.

It is known that the Bamboo Curtain Country Government has long used panda diplomacy to increase the country's soft power, lending the country a large black-and-white panda but looking adorable to zoos in various countries for decades, as a goodwill ambassador.

Beijing awarded two giant pandas as gifts to the US in 1972, following President Richard Nixon's historic visit to the country during the Cold War.

Other Pandas were then loaned to the US for research and educational purposes. The panda has become the main attraction in the zoo, attracting millions of visitors who worship it.