No pandas are expected to remain in the United States
Atlanta Zoo’s panda is set to return next month
The U.S. plans to request new pandas, but there’s been no response
The panda, once a symbol of China and a catalyst for improved U.S.-China relations, is expected to be entirely absent from the U.S. by next year.
Symbol of U.S.-China friendship under scrutiny… ‘Punitive panda diplomacy’ also pointed out
According to foreign media outlets such as The Washington Post, on the 8th (local time), the Chinese government returned three giant pandas leased to the National Park in Washington DC, U.S.
The female Mei Xiang, male Tian Tian, and their cub Xiao Qi Ji were transported by truck to Dulles International Airport, where they boarded a FedEx cargo plane for a 19-hour flight to Qingdao, China.
Mei Xiang and Tian Tian, raised in China, came to the National Zoo in Washington in December 2000, and Xiao Qi Ji was born in August 2020.
They were very popular at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, but they are leaving the U.S. as the lease agreement ends on the 7th of next month.
Currently, four pandas are left at the Zoo in Atlanta, Georgia, but none will remain by next year when their lease agreement ends.
Over the past few years, the number has decreased due to the end of lease contracts, and some have interpreted the disappearance of pandas in the U.S. as reflecting the current relationship between China and the U.S.
Foreign media evaluated, “Since they arrived in Washington DC, pandas have been a symbol connecting the U.S. and China,” and “The era of panda diplomacy has ended, at least for now.”
However, officials at the National Zoo explained, “The contract stipulates that pandas should be returned to China when they reach old age or before their cubs 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.
According to foreign media, the National Zoo plans to request a new pair of pandas from China, but a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. did not respond to questions about the panda lease.
Instead, the spokesperson emphasized, “Pandas are a symbol of friendship from the Chinese people,” and “They have played an important role in improving mutual understanding and friendly relations between Chinese and American citizens.”
In 1972, when the pandas first came to the U.S., there were as many as 15… China has been practicing ‘panda diplomacy’ to this day
The pandas first came to Washington, DC in 1972.
At that time, U.S. President Richard Nixon visited Beijing and opened the door to normalizing U.S.-China relations. In response, Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai promised to lease pandas to Pat Nixon, the First Lady, who was amazed by the pandas.
The pair of pandas that arrived in Washington DC that year gained tremendous popularity, and China sent pandas to zoos in other parts of the U.S. At one point, 15 pandas were living in the U.S.
The lease of pandas was ostensibly for the conservation of the endangered species. Still, China gained a positive perception of China among the American public through this ‘panda diplomacy.’
China is still using pandas as a diplomatic tool.
In 2019, China leased a pair of pandas to Russia to commemorate the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was on a state visit, attended the panda handover ceremony at the Moscow Zoo.
Qatar also received a pair of pandas last year, the first in the Middle East.
By. Koo Nari
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