As last 3 giant pandas exit Washington’s National Zoo, will US-China diplomacy retreat too?
- Departure of Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji, days before Joe Biden and Xi Jinping are to meet at Apec, ends 50-year programme in nation’s capital
- Long a symbol of cordial ties, pandas could now prove politically troublesome for American politicians, observers say
Much earlier than expected, some of Beijing’s cutest US-based diplomats are heading home. On a “FedEx Panda Express” Boeing 777F.
A trio of giant pandas – female Mei Xiang, 25, male Tian Tian, 26, and their three-year-old cub Xiao Qi Ji – bid farewell to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington at 9am on Wednesday.
Their 19-hour trans-Pacific flight is bound for Chengdu in Sichuan province, with a refuelling stop en route in Anchorage, Alaska.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” said Ellie Tahmaseb, a National Zoo public affairs specialist. “Obviously, we’ve had these bears in the care of our team for the past 23 years. But this is a very important part of their journey.”
Tahmaseb said the zoo was upholding its part of an agreement with partners in China. Earlier the zoo had provided a departure time frame of mid-November.
The zoo would look forward to conversations “with our Chinese partners” about “how we can continue to work together to save the species”, she added.