The National Zoo has welcomed two new giant pandas for the first time in 24 years.
The loveable bears arrived from Beijing yesterday morning on a FedEx cargo plane dubbed the Panda Express in the latest occurrence of Chinas so-called panda diplomacy.
For the past 23 years three pandas named Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji called the National Zoo in Washington D.C their home until they were returned to China 11 months ago when their lease expired.
Now, the popular bears have been replaced by two three-year-old giant pandas named Bao Li and Qing Bao.
Under tight security the expensive cargo - which cost an annual fee of $1million - were ferried from Washington Dulles Airport to the zoo in time for lunch.
Qing Bao before she was shipped on the Panda Express to Washingtons National Zoo. Under tight security the expensive cargo - which cost an annual fee of $1million - were ferried from Washington Dulles Airport to the zoo in time for lunch
For the past 23 years three pandas named Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji (pictured) called the National Zoo in Washington D.C their home until they were returned to China 11 months ago when their lease expired
The loveable bears arrived from Beijing yesterday morning on a FedEx cargo plane dubbed the Panda Express in the latest occurrence of Chinas so-called panda diplomacy
The bears will be quarantined for at least 30 days and the public will be able to view the pandas from January 24 2025.
Their arrival is the most recent form of panda diplomacy - a phenomenon where China sends the furry beasts around the world as a gesture of good will - with the earliest recorded transportation of pandas dating back to as early as 907 AD.
Panda diplomacy did not get into full swing until 1949 when the Communist Party took control of China. In 1957 China sent two Pandas to the Soviet Union to mark the 40th anniversary of Russias October revolution.
Then in 1972 two pandas were sent to the USA after the two countries re-established diplomatic relations.
In recent decades pandas have started being sent to countries as a part of trade negotiations with China as the animals - who have a wild population of just 33 - became a rare commodity to have in zoos across the world.
For example, when two pandas were sent to Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland they were part of negotiated deal to supply salmon, Land Rovers and energy technology to China.
The new arrivals in Washington will be paid for with a $1million fee which will be put towards supporting conservation efforts in China.
It also marks a rare diplomatic success between the US and China after relations between the two global powers deteriorated in recent years following tensions over trade and geopolitics.
Male giant panda Bao Li is prepared for transport. The journey is something of a homecoming parade for Bao Li who was born at the National Zoo in 2013 before he returned to China four years later
A cage containing male giant panda Bao Li is loaded onto a plane at the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport
CNN reported that the journey is something of a homecoming parade for Bao Li who was born at the National Zoo in 2013 before he returned to China four years later.
Our team has worked tirelessly to prepare for the pandas arrival, and were thrilled to welcome Bao Li and Qing Bao to Washington, DC, the only place you can see giant pandas for free in the nation, said Brandie Smith, the national zoo director who travelled to China to take part in farewell ceremonies for the bears there.
As a result of our collective efforts, today we joyfully celebrate a new chapter of our 52-year-long giant panda breeding and conservation programme.
The previous deal expired last year, leading to some concern among American panda-lovers that Beijing was gradually pulling its furry friendship ambassadors from American zoos amid rising diplomatic tensions.
Breeding pairs in zoos in Memphis and San Diego had already returned to China earlier and the four pandas in the Atlanta zoo left for China last week.
That anxiety turned to optimism last November when Chinese President Xi Jinping publicly stated a desire to continue the panda exchange programmes. This year, a new pair of bears has been delivered to the San Diego Zoo, while another pair has been promised to San Francisco.
In Washington, National Zoo officials remained silent about negotiations for a new panda agreement, but they expressed optimism about striking a new deal and launched a multimillion-dollar renovation of its panda enclosure in anticipation.
Tian Tian in her enclosure at Edinburgh Zoo. In recent decades pandas have started being sent to countries as a part of trade negotiations with China For example, when two pandas were sent to Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland they were part of negotiated deal to supply salmon, Land Rovers and energy technology to China
The Giant Pandas are offloaded at Washingtons Dulles Airport
Then in late May, Ms Smith teamed up with First Lady Jill Biden to announce that Bao Li and Qing Bao would be arriving by the end of this year.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, credited the decades of co-operation with advancing research into panda preservation and breeding.
During the lifespan of these agreements, giant pandas have been reclassified from an endangered species to merely vulnerable.
The current round of co-operation will focus on prevention and treatment of major diseases, and protection of habitats and wild giant panda populations, Mr Liu said in an email.
We hope the arrival of the pandas will inject fresh impetus into exchanges between China and the US, and help to stabilise the broader bilateral relationship as well.