Two giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, have arrived at the Washington Zoo from China.
Two giant pandas named Bao Li and Qing Bao have arrived at the National Zoo in Washington from China, according to the zoo’s press service.
Earlier, CNN reported that two three-year-old giant pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, left the Dujiangyan Research Center in southwest China for the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., becoming the first representatives of the species that Beijing has sent to the American capital in 24 years.
“The giant pandas arrived at the Smithsonian National Zoo … from China,” the statement said.
The pandas will be quarantined in the Panda House for at least 30 days and will be released to the public on January 24, 2025, according to the press release.
Pandas in zoos around the world are part of China’s diplomatic strategy. The PRC is willing to share the animals, but with a number of conditions: the pandas remain China’s property, as do their offspring. China’s “panda diplomacy” is a rare positive signal in U.S.-China relations amid trade, technology, and geopolitical tensions.