All three giant pandas in the Washington zoo were set to begin a one-way trip back to China on Wednesday, leaving only a few of the cuddly creatures in the United States amid tense diplomatic relations with Beijing.The Chinese government tends to "bestow" pandas on "nations with whom China's relations are on the upswing, as a form of soft power projection," Kurt Tong, a former high-ranking US diplomat and managing partner of the Asia Group consultancy, told AFP.
Relations between Washington and
The National Zoo’s three giant pandas left Washington, D.C., early Wednesday and took off from Dulles on the specially-equipped FedEx Panda Express aircraft destined for Chengdu, China, their new home.
The Smithsonian National Zoo's giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their 3-year-old offspring Xiao Qi Ji, are returning to China. Panda Express: On Wednesday morning, the pandas were loaded onto FedEx trucks using forklifts and were transported to Dulles International Airport in Virginia. The pandas’ ultimate destination is the China Wildlife Conservation Association.
Two giant pandas that have called the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute home since 2000, are on a 19-hour flight to China, along with their cub and hundreds of pounds of food!
The National Zoo’s three giant pandas departed Washington, D.C. on Wednesday morning, marking the beginning of their trip back to China and an end, at least for now, to 50 years of “panda diplomacy” with Beijing.