In a new spherical of ‘panda diplomacy,’ China sends big bears to the U.S. soon after two decades

For the initially time in far more than two decades, big pandas are en route from China to a San Diego zoo in the U.S. — a indicator that Beijing is resuming its so-termed “panda diplomacy” attempts as relations with the West thaw.

Four-calendar year-outdated Yun Chuan, a male panda, and Xin Bao, a female panda who’s turning four in July, departed from Bifengxia Huge Panda Base, in China’s Sichuan province on Wednesday.

The pair will reside at the San Diego Zoo for the next 10 yrs, according to a press release from the zoo.

San Diego mayor Todd Gloria frequented the Chinese facility on Wednesday to celebrate the pandas’ departure right before welcoming them to his city. Delegates from both international locations had been in attendance as nicely.

“I’m honored to have been invited to be part of in the farewell ceremonies in China for Yun Chuan and Xin Bao,” the mayor explained on X. “This is a historic conservation partnership that will assistance shield these outstanding creatures and their habitat.”

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance President and CEO Paul Baribault stated the farewell ceremony “celebrates their journey and underscores a collaboration between the United States and China on critical conservation efforts.”

The pandas had been accompanied by caretakers and veterinarians from both equally China and the U.S., such as People who visited China previously and “got to know the pandas perfectly,” Huang Shan, a giant panda caretaker at the Ya’an facility instructed NBC News.

The Chinese workforce will invest about 3 months in San Diego to support the pandas settle in, state media China Day by day said.

The bears will take time to acclimatize and will not likely be allowed to fulfill the public promptly, the zoo highlighted.

The San Diego Zoo was the initially in the U.S. to have a cooperative panda conservation program, which aims to make improvements to the well being and resilience of giant pandas — a species that’s vulnerable to extinction.

Yun Chua, the male panda, is the son of Zhen Zhen, who was born at San Diego Zoo in 2007.

The zoo has not experienced residing pandas since 2019, right after a 27-calendar year-outdated woman giant panda, Bai Yun, and her 6-yr-old son, Xiao Liwu, returned to China. The zoo pledged at that time to continue on its conservation attempts.

For many years, China has made use of “panda diplomacy” to job Chinese smooth electricity and relieve tensions with the U.S.

Last yr, China recalled 3 huge pandas that were loaned to the U.S. who ended up residing at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington as tensions with Washington flared.

Four others in Zoo Atlanta are anticipated to return dwelling this calendar year.

But as bilateral relations thawed, Chinese International Minister Wang Yi pledged in January large pandas would return to the U.S., expressing the two international locations must coexist peacefully and put their distinctions aside, the Affiliate Press documented.

“Beijing would like to strengthen American perceptions of China and is leaning into cultural diplomacy since it does not want to compromise on political issues this sort of as human rights, industrial coverage, and territorial disputes,” Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese Politics at Asia Society Policy Institute’s Heart for China Analysis explained to CNBC.

Nevertheless, he highlighted that the pandas’ arrival to San Diego will have little impact on bilateral relations.

“Panda diplomacy will have very little effects on the U.S.-China romantic relationship, which has currently entered a seemingly extended period of time of strategic level of competition,” Thomas stated.

“Zoogoers really should love seeing the lovable pandas without the need of stressing that Washington has turn out to be beholden to Beijing.”

— With reporting from NBC News.