Washington: Signaling a new era of diplomacy between two of the top world powers, a pair of giant pandas from China are set to arrive at Washington’s National Zoo by the end of the year, US First Lady Jill Biden announced, months after the zoo sent its three pandas back to China.
"We are excited for children near and far to once again enjoy the giant pandas' adorable and joyful adventures at our @NationalZoo," the first lady posted on X. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute said the pair of pandas are Bao Li, 2, a male and Qing Bao, 2, a female.
The announcement comes amid the tense relationship between the United States and China, which owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos, and the short period since the departure of pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji, in November last year.
The new pandas are coming on a 10-year lease, ending in April 2034, during which the zoo will pay the China Wildlife and Conservation Association $1 million a year, the zoo said in its announcement.
‘Panda Diplomacy’, as it is known, has long been the symbol of the US-China friendship since Beijing gifted a pair to the National Zoo in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping called them “envoys of friendship” between the two nations. (With inputs from WION News)
