Chinese President Xi Jinping announced on Wednesday evening the intention to dispatch new pandas to the United States, designating them as “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.” This announcement followed the first face-to-face meeting between President Xi and Joe Biden in a year, where both leaders expressed a commitment to easing tensions.
During a dinner speech with business leaders, President Xi emphasized China’s readiness to collaborate with the United States on panda conservation, aiming to deepen friendly ties between the two nations. While specific details about when and where the pandas would be sent remained undisclosed, Xi hinted that California, likely San Diego, could be the intended destination.
The symbolic significance of pandas in fostering US-China friendship dates back to 1972 when Beijing presented a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington. Since then, China has loaned pandas to various US zoos, contributing proceeds to panda conservation programs. The recent departure of the National Zoo’s three giant pandas to China left only four pandas in the United States, housed at the Atlanta Zoo.
President Xi acknowledged the sentimental attachment of Americans, especially children, to the departing pandas and mentioned the anticipation in San Diego and California for the return of these cherished animals.
Xi, currently in California for an Indo-Pacific leaders’ summit and meetings with Biden, refrained from discussing pandas during earlier public remarks with the US president. The announcement aligns with the broader efforts to stabilize US-China relations, with the two leaders agreeing on areas of cooperation, including anti-narcotics initiatives, military communications, and people-to-people exchanges.
As bilateral relations encountered challenges in recent years, there were calls from the Chinese public for the return of giant pandas, fueled by unverified allegations of mistreatment. The decision to send new pandas reflects a positive turn in diplomatic relations and serves as a symbolic gesture of goodwill.
By AP
