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”.

The White House said it would be happy to have more bamboo-chewing bears.

“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, DC,” said Brandie Smith of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

“This historic moment is proof positive our collaboration with Chinese colleagues has made an irrefutable impact.”

China has been using “panda diplomacy” since 1972 when the first animals were sent to the US as a gift after then-President Richard Nixon’s visit to the Communist nation.

Strained relations between the rival superpowers in recent years have led Beijing to call some of the pandas back home.

Source: Al Jazeera 

BDST: 1001 HRS, MAY 30, 2024
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