Amid Deteriorating US-China Relations... China Demands "Return the Loaned Panda Immediately"

No Pandas Expected to Remain in the US
Next Month, Panda Returns to Atlanta Zoo
US Plans to Request New Pandas but Has Not Received a Response

The panda, a symbol of China and once a contributor to the improvement of U.S.-China relations, is expected to no longer be present in the United States next year.

A Symbol of U.S.-China Friendly Relations... Also Criticized as 'Punitive Panda Diplomacy'

The first baby panda in Korea, Fubao, living at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Fubao is the offspring of female Aibao and male Lubao, sent to Korea in March 2016 by Chinese President Xi Jinping as a symbol of promoting Korea-China friendship.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

According to foreign media including The Washington Post (WP) on the 8th (local time), the Chinese government has returned three giant pandas that were leased to the National Park in Washington, D.C. back to China.

The female Mei Xiang, the male Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji were transported by truck to Dulles International Airport on the same day, and are scheduled to arrive in Qingdao, China after a 19-hour flight on a FedEx cargo plane.

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, who were raised in China, arrived at the National Zoo in Washington in December 2000, and Xiao Qi Ji was born in August 2020.

They enjoyed great popularity at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., but as the lease contract ends on the 7th of next month, they will be leaving the United States.

Currently, there are four pandas remaining at the Atlanta Zoo in Georgia, but when their lease contracts expire next year, there will be none left in the U.S.

The number has decreased over the past few years due to lease contract expirations, coinciding with the deterioration of U.S.-China relations, leading some to interpret the disappearance of pandas in the U.S. as reflecting the current state of relations between China and the United States.

Foreign media stated, "Since their arrival in Washington, D.C., pandas have been a symbol connecting the U.S. and China," and assessed that "the era of panda diplomacy has, at least for now, come to an end."

However, officials at the National Zoo explained, "According to the contract, pandas are to be returned to China when they reach old age or, in the case of cubs, before they turn four years old."

Mei Xiang and Tian Tian are 25 and 26 years old respectively, and Xiao Qi Ji will turn four next year.

The National Zoo plans to request a new pair of pandas from China, but according to foreign media, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. did not respond regarding the lease of pandas.

Instead, the spokesperson emphasized, "Pandas are goodwill ambassadors of the Chinese people," and "they have played an important role in improving mutual understanding and friendly relations between the peoples of China and the United States."

First Came to the U.S. in 1972, Once 15 Pandas Lived Here... China Continued 'Panda Diplomacy' Until Recently

Giant panda Xiao Qiji at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC, USA.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The first pandas arrived in Washington, D.C. in 1972.

At that time, U.S. President Richard Nixon visited Beijing, opening the way for normalization of U.S.-China relations. Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai promised to lease pandas to Pat Nixon, the First Lady, who was impressed by the pandas.

After a pair of pandas arrived in Washington, D.C. that year and gained great popularity, China sent pandas to other zoos in the U.S. At one point, there were 15 pandas living in the United States.

Although the panda lease was nominally for the conservation of this endangered species, China was able to achieve the effect of having the American public view China positively through this 'panda diplomacy.'

China has continued to use pandas as a diplomatic tool until recently.

In 2019, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, China leased a pair of pandas to Russia, and the panda handover ceremony at the Moscow Zoo was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was on a state visit.

Qatar also received a pair of pandas last year, becoming the first Middle Eastern country to do so.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.