They're cute, cuddly and coming to America: China's newest panda diplomats headed for Washington
CTV
Two giant pandas are on their way from China to Washington's National Zoo, kicking off a much-awaited return of the beloved bears to the American capital.
Two giant pandas are on their way from China to Washington's National Zoo, kicking off a much-awaited return of the beloved bears to the American capital.
Bao Li and Qing Bao, both three years old, left the giant panda research base in Dujiangyan, a city near the bears' native habitat in the mountains of southwest China, on Monday night local time. They boarded a specially chartered FedEx Boeing 777 cargo jet dubbed the "Panda Express" early Tuesday morning local time and took off for Washington.
"We have prepared corn buns, bamboo shoots, carrots, water, and medicine to ensure the pandas' needs are met during the flight," the China Wildlife Conservation Association said in a statement announcing the pair's departure.
The black and white duo are the first pandas China has sent to Washington in 24 years. The previous pair returned to China with their cub last November, triggering a flood of tearful goodbyes at the Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Over the past 11 months, the zoo's panda exhibit, which used to draw millions of visitors, has been left empty. Now, having just completed a million-dollar revamp, it's counting down the hours to welcome the new tenants.
China's renewed panda diplomacy with the US is a rare bright spot in the fraught relations between the world's two superpower rivals – which have been marred by tensions over trade, technology, geopolitics and more.
Before their departure from the Dujiangyan base, the pandas were brought out in large transport crates and loaded onto two waiting trucks. CNN was the sole foreign media present to witness their departure.
