China Sends Special “Envoy” Back to Washington, DC

The two 3-year-old pandas – a male named Bao Li and a female named Qing Bao – arrived on October 15 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, located about 26 miles west of downtown Washington DC.

Panda couple Bao Li and Qing Bao are among the few giant black and white bears present in the United States.

Most members of the beloved American bear family have been sent back to their native China in recent years under pre-arranged contracts, including three pandas at the Washington National Zoo who were repatriated last November.

Many have suggested that the lack of a quick "void" left by the three bears reflects growing tensions between the US and China, but Chinese President Xi Jinping has quickly promised that he will send new pandas as "messengers of friendship".

In August, the San Diego Zoo welcomed two new giant pandas, the first to arrive in the United States in 21 years.

"An iconic part of DC"

The public is extremely excited about the arrival of the new panda couple, Bao Li and Qing Bao, in Washington, DC. The zoo's website even has a dedicated status line to announce: "The pandas are coming."

A FedEx cargo plane carrying two giant pandas lands at Dulles Airport in Virginia on October 15, 2024. Photo: Getty Images

A pair of giant pandas arrive at Dulles Airport in Virginia, October 15, 2024. Photo: Getty Images

“The giant pandas are an iconic part of Washington, DC, for both locals and visitors,” said Elliott L Ferguson II, president and CEO of Destination DC, the official organization dedicated to promoting the nation’s capital.

“The interest and excitement associated with the pandas’ return directly benefits the entire city, drawing additional interest and visitors to our hotels, restaurants and other attractions,” Ferguson said.

Bao Li is a descendant of Bao Bao, who was born in DC in 2013 and lived there until 2017. All pandas born at the National Zoo return to China at age 4 as part of a breeding program that helps protect the longevity of the species, which is currently considered “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Two-year-old female giant panda Qing Bao in her habitat at Dujiangyan, in Sichuan, China, on May 17, 2024. Photo: Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute

The zoo has renovated the panda habitat ahead of the new arrivals, installing shallow pools and new bamboo platforms. The public will not be able to see the new pandas immediately, as they will be quarantined in their panda habitat for at least 30 days. Bao Li and Qing Bao are expected to make their public debut on January 24 next year.

"Panda diplomacy"

China has been using a method known as "panda diplomacy" since 1972, when the first bears were sent to Washington, DC as a gift, following then-US President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.

A series of 10-year cooperation agreements were subsequently signed, which Chinese Embassy in the US spokesman Liu Pengyu credited with advancing panda conservation research.

"The current round of cooperation will focus on the prevention and treatment of major diseases, and the protection of the habitat and wild population of giant pandas," Liu told US media via email. "We hope the arrival of the pandas will inject new impetus into exchanges between China and the US, and help stabilize the broader bilateral relationship."

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there were about 1,860 giant pandas in the wild as of 2014, up 17% from the previous decade. In 2021, Chinese conservationists reclassified the animal from endangered to vulnerable.

Minh Duc (According to Al Jazeera, ABC News)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/trung-quoc-dua-su-gia-dac-biet-tro-lai-washington-dc-204241016111240838.htm