China Sends Two Pandas To The US On 10-Year ‘Diplomatic Mission’

Two giant pandas have been flown from China to the US, making a significant development in the ongoing ‘panda diplomacy’ between the two countries. The bears, named Bao Li and Qing Bao, landed at Dulles International Airport on October 15, aboard a FedEx cargo plane aptly named the “Panda Express.”

Transported from the Dujiangyan Panda Base in Sichuan, China, Bao Li and Qing Bao will live at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, for a period of 10 years. This arrangement includes a contractual agreement whereby the US will contribute $1 million annually towards the conservation of endangered species in China.

Following their arrival, the pandas will undergo a 30-day quarantine to ensure the good health of both the bears and their keepers, as said in a press release from the Smithsonian National Zoo. Starting January 10, 2025, zoo members will be able to preview the new pandas, while the official public display will take place on January 24, 2025.

According to the AFP report, Bao Li and Qing Bao arrived after a year that saw no pandas in the National Zoo, following the transfer of three of the animals in November. This gap was apprehensive of the nadir in the Sino-American relations. However, later, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to re-dispatch pandas as “ambassadors of friendship” during his tour to San Francisco last year.

The report also highlighted that in August, another pair of pandas were moved to the San Diego Zoo which was the first exchange of such animals in the last 2 decades.

As they prepare to welcome pandas, facilities in the National Zoo have cultivated features designed for pandas such as pools for washing and structures with bamboo to encourage fundamental foraging bases. These improvements have the purpose of offering the bears a secure and creatively challenging habitat.

Panda diplomacy has been part of Sino-American relations since 1972 when China offered the first pair of pandas to the United States after President Richard Nixon’s visit to China. It was made to restore diplomatic relations between the two countries at times of geopolitical tensions. Since their debut, pandas have emerged as key political tools in China’s foreign policy agenda, usually before critical diplomatic moments or years’ celebrations.