The zoo is located in the California city of San Diego in the United States. According to the agency, it is planned to send an adult male and a female there. If all the necessary requirements are met, the animals will arrive in the United States by the end of summer.
Previously, two pandas already lived at the San Diego Zoo, but about five years ago they were sent back to China. On November 16, 2023, the coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, John Kirby, said that the States would be happy if the pandas returned to the California zoo.
Then Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his willingness to think about returning these animals to the United States. Recall that officially all pandas belong to China and can only be rented to zoos in other countries. Sending them to various countries has become a tradition that is often called "panda diplomacy."
