Giant panda Xiao Qi Ji plays at his enclosure at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
By Didi Tang
Chinese President Xi Jinping signaled that China will send new pandas to the United States, calling them “envoys of friendship between the Chinese and American peoples.”
“We are ready to continue our cooperation with the United States on panda conservation, and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” Xi said Wednesday during a dinner speech with business leaders.
The gesture came at the end of a day in which Xi and President Joe Biden held their first face-to-face meeting in a year and pledged to try to reduce tensions. Xi did not share additional details on when or where pandas might be provided but appeared to suggest the next pair of pandas are most likely to come to California, probably San Diego.
The bears have long been the symbol of the U.S.-China friendship since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Later, Beijing loaned the pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs.
The National Zoo’s three giant pandas, Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji, eight days ago began their long trip to China. After their departure, only four pandas are left in the United States, in the Atlanta Zoo.
“I was told that many American people, especially children, were really reluctant to say goodbye to the pandas, and went to the zoo to see them off,” Xi said in his speech. He added that he learned the San Diego Zoo and people in California “very much look forward to welcoming pandas back.”
Xi is in California to attend a summit of Indo-Pacific leaders and for his meeting with Biden. He made no mention of the pandas during his public remarks earlier in the day as he met with Biden.
When bilateral relations began to sour in the past few years, members of the Chinese public started to demand the return of giant pandas. Unproven allegations that U.S. zoos mistreated the pandas, known as China’s “national treasure,” flooded China’s social media.
But relations showed signs of stabilization as Xi traveled to San Francisco to meet with Biden. The two men met for about four hours Wednesday at the picturesque Filoli Historic House & Garden, where they agreed to cooperate on anti-narcotics, resume high-level military communications and expand people-to-people exchanges.
The National Zoo’s exchange agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association had been set to expire in early December and negotiations to renew or extend the deal did not produce results.
The San Diego Zoo returned its pandas in 2019, and the last bear at the Memphis, Tennessee, zoo went home earlier this year.
Associated Press writer Ashraf Khalil in Washington contributed to this report.
Catching you up on what you Need to Know on Mar 21, 2022, with updates on the Russian invasion in Ukraine, a Boeing 737-800 plane carrying 132 people crashed in China, Canadian Pacific rail workers on strike, another possible COVID surge, and the SEC's new climate rules for businesses.
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has told senators that she will defend the Constitution and decide cases “without fear or favor” if she is confirmed to the Supreme Court.
David Stryzewski, CEO of Sound Planning Group, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says he believes pent-up demand is driving stocks higher and explains how Wednesday's Fed decision continues to impact investor sentiment.
Rachel Thomas, the co-founder and CEO of the non-profit Lean In, joined Cheddar amid Women's History Month, to discuss how the organization is taking on issues that continue to impact the workplace through its Circles program. "These are a program that brings women together in small groups, usually 8 to 12, for support, camaraderie, and to learn together," she said. "We also we have a lot of curriculum so women can learn how to navigate workplace biases, how to negotiate with women." Thomas also applauded President Biden's recent call to action on equal pay for women, noting that businesses must do more to be cognizant of inherent gender and racial biases.
President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping spoke Friday for nearly two hours via a video call as the White House looks to deter Beijing from providing military or economic assistance for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Senate has passed the Sunshine Protection Act to permanently set U.S. clocks to daylight saving time — meaning you won't need to change them twice a year. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) joined Cheddar News to talk about something that hasn't been changed in almost half a century. “Well, I think if you were to start from scratch and have somebody come in and say here's my idea, we're going to have two different times during the year and you're going to shift back and forth between different times and have to reset all your clocks twice a year, you'd probably throw that person out as like having a screw loose," he said regarding the status quo.
Catching you up on what you Need to Know on Mar 18, 2022, with updates on the war in Ukraine, President Biden’s meeting with Xi Jinping, Meta removing a deepfake video of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Britney Griner, vaccine updates, and tech news.
As the Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, medical experts are worried conditions in active warzones will exacerbate the current pandemic — or even give rise to other contagions. Dr. Daniel Fagbuyi, a war veteran and former Obama administration biodefense appointee, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing danger of COVID-19 on top of the war, as well as the potential for new variants to emerge. "I mean just large volumes of people definitely is a breeding ground. That's the worst case," he said. "Two things don't mix: war-conflict and a virus, a potential pandemic virus."
