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. “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. 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”. “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.