New pandas from China make their debut at National Zoo in Washington
Bao Li and Qing Bao, both three years old, are the US capital’s latest panda diplomats
Even with a new administration only a few days old, Washington’s newest stars from China stole the spotlight on Friday when a pair of three-year-old giant pandas made their public debut at the National Zoo.
Since October, when the male Bao Li, whose name means “precious vigour”, and the female Qing Bao, which means “green treasure”, were the first new pandas to arrive in the US capital in 24 years, they have been settling in and adjusting to their new home.
Their move signalled the revival of panda exchanges following the return of Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and Xiao Qi Ji to China in 2023 at the end of an exchange agreement. Those departures sparked concerns about fewer pandas in US zoos, as US-China ties frayed from rising tensions over tech and trade.
Optimism grew, though, after Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to the exchange programmes following his meeting with US President Joe Biden in November 2023.
“Embracing pandas is embracing peace and friendship,” Xie Feng, China’s ambassador to the US, said during the zoo’s ceremony welcoming the pandas on Friday.
“The shared love for pandas has deepened my conviction that China and the United States have much more in common than what divides us,” Xie added, stressing that panda diplomacy showed that “as long as we work together, we can make big, great things happen to the benefit of both our countries and the world”.
