For the first time in 24 years, Chinese panda diplomats have arrived in Washington: What does this mean?

For the first time in 24 years, panda diplomats from China have arrived in Washington: what does this mean? Sergei Popovich

For the first time in 24 years Two pandas from China arrived in Washington/Collage 24 Channel

The Washington Zoo was left without pandas for almost a year, but now China has agreed to send its panda diplomats to the United States. This step will be a pleasant event in the rather tense relations between the two countries.

A FedEx cargo plane with the symbolic name “Panda Express” brought two three-year-old pandas to Washington, CNN reports.

Beijing restores “panda diplomacy” with the US

For the first time in 24 years, the US receives pandas from Beijing. Their names are Bao Li and Qing Bao, and they are both 3 years old.

The valuable cargo was delivered under proper guard to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, where they will remain on a 10-year loan at an annual fee of $1 million to support conservation efforts in China.

Pandas Arrive in the U.S.: Watch Video

Zoo staff will be allowed to see the pandas starting January 10, and they will be introduced to the public on January 24, 2025.

The bears will be quarantined for 30 days while the zoo provides them with the proper environment for development and activities.

The Smithsonian's previous panda pair returned to China with their cub last November when their lease expired. They were sent off to a tearful farewell, leaving the zoo without pandas for 11 months.

The resurgence of panda diplomacy is a welcome development in the strained U.S.-China relationship.

During a send-off ceremony Monday near the Dujiangyang base, Washington Zoo Director Brandy Smith celebrated the Smithsonian's half-century of collaboration with its Chinese partners in panda conservation.

The beloved black-and-white bears are icons in Washington and adored around the world. Our team and legions of fans are looking forward to welcoming Bao Li and Qing Bao to the Smithsonian's National Zoo,” she said.

Bao Li and Qing Bao

Bao Li was born in southwest China's Sichuan Province, but also has American roots. His grandmother was born in a U.S. national park in 2013 and returned to China four years later. His grandparents, Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, ​​lived at the U.S. zoo for 23 years until their lease expired last year.

Bao Li has a personality. “He reminds me a lot of his grandfather Tian Tian,” says Marielle Lally, a panda keeper at the National Zoo.

Qing Bao, on the other hand, is introverted. She often sleeps on her climbing frame or lounges in a tree.

She's very reserved. She doesn't always come when called because she prefers to do her own thing. So she's a little more independent than Bao Li,” Lally explains.

She adds that Qing Bao is quite small, so people should like such a small bear.

Panda keeper Marielle Lally/Photo by Evelio Contreras/CNN

Lally spent 10 days getting to know the two pandas at a research base in Dujiangyan, a city near the bears' native habitat in the lush green mountains.

Ren Zhijun, the Chinese caretaker who looked after the two bears in quarantine, noticed a big difference in their tastes. Bao Li loves bamboo shoots and can eat twice as much as Qing Bao, who loves carrots and apples the most.

The History of China's Panda Diplomacy

• China has been using pandas in diplomacy for decades to attract partners, show goodwill, and act as a soft power of Chinese culture.
• The Smithsonian National Zoo was the first in the United States to exhibit these rare animals.
• It all started with US President Richard Nixon's trip to communist China during the Cold War in 1972. His wife, First Lady Pat Nixon, was fascinated by the pandas at the Beijing Zoo.
• A few weeks later, the first pair of pandas, Ling Ling and Xing Xing, arrived at the National Zoo in Washington.
• The event drew more than 20,000 visitors at the time. Since then, the pandas have become the pride of the park. Since 2000, more than 100 million people have watched the live feed from the panda enclosure.