Two giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, both two years old, will arrive at Washington’s National Zoo by the end of the year, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced on Wednesday. This follows the recent return of the zoo’s previous three pandas to China.
Continuation of conservation partnership
“We’re thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendent of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C.,” said Brandie Smith, the institute’s director. Smith highlighted the positive impact of the collaboration with Chinese colleagues in growing the panda population and advancing conservation efforts.
For over five decades, the institute has maintained one of the world’s leading giant panda conservation programs, aiming to reclassify the panda from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the global species at risk of extinction list.
Diplomatic symbolism
The announcement comes amid tense U.S.-China relations and shortly after the departure of pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian, and Xiao Qi Ji in November last year. The new pandas will be on a 10-year lease, costing the zoo $1 million annually, according to the China Wildlife and Conservation Association.
Panda diplomacy
‘Panda Diplomacy’ has long symbolized U.S.-China friendship, beginning with Beijing’s gift of pandas to the National Zoo in 1972. These pandas have become icons in Washington, D.C., and are beloved nationwide and globally. Chinese President Xi Jinping has referred to them as “envoys of friendship.”
Amid heightened diplomatic tensions, American zoos have returned pandas to China as loan agreements lapsed, prompting farewells from millions of panda fans. Despite the tensions, Xi expressed a willingness to continue panda conservation cooperation with the U.S. to deepen friendly ties between the two nations. However, unproven allegations of mistreatment in U.S. zoos have circulated on China’s social media, reflecting the strained relations.