China Resumes Panda Diplomacy With Two Bears Headed to DC
- Beijing had let agreements with all US zoos expire months ago
- Panda Diplomacy back on track with fresh DC, San Diego deals
Stuffed giant panda toys sit on a shelf for sale during a 'Panda Palooza' event at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC on Sept. 23.
Photographer: Anna Moneymaker/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Pandas are returning to Washington’s National Zoo, the latest sign that China is reversing course after it took back all the bears on loan to the US.
China will send a new pair of pandas, two-year-olds Bao Li and Qing Bao, to Washington by the end of the year, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Zoo said Wednesday. The pandas will stay through April 2034 and, in keeping with past agreements, the bears and any offspring they produce will remain China’s property.