China to send two giant pandas to Washington, DC, zoo

Bao Li and Qing Bao to arrive this year under a decade-long breeding and research agreement, zoo says.

China will send giant pandas to the National Zoo in Washington, DC, United States first lady Jill Biden and officials say in a surprise announcement signalling a new era of panda diplomacy between the superpowers.

Bao Li and Qing Bao will arrive in the US before the end of the year under a decade-long breeding and research agreement, the zoo said in a statement on Wednesday celebrating the return of animals “beloved around the nation and the world”.

“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.

With tensions soaring between Washington and Beijing, only a handful of the black and white bears remain in the US, and three left the National Zoo six months ago.

But Chinese President Xi Jinping said after meeting US President Joe Biden at a summit in California in November that China could send new pandas as “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American people”.