China confirmed that giant pandas will soon return to the United States. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced this during the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the Asian country and the U.S.
In 2023, Beijing pulled out three giant pandas from the Nationa Zoo in Washington, D.C. These are specifically Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and their cub, Xiao Qi Ji.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks about the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Wit that, the National Zoo (aka National Zoological Park) was left with an empty panda exhibit with no certainty that these creatures would return.
Now, the Chinese foreign minister confirmed that China is willing to return its pandas as part of their effort to make peaceful coexistence between it and the U.S.
China Confirms Giant Pandas' Return to US
According to Fox News' latest report, Wang Yi said on Friday, Jan. 5, said that the U.S. and China should have a peaceful coexistence, urging the two nations to transcend their differences.
Wang Yi said that the U.S. and China should do what they did when they were just establishing diplomatic relations 45 years ago.
"China-U.S. cooperation is no longer a dispensable option for the two countries or even for the world, but a must-answer question that must be seriously addressed," said the Chinese foreign minister. via Fortune.
Wang Yi said that the world is undergoing profound changes that were never seen before in the century.
"We must think about how to calibrate the direction of the large ship of China-U.S. relations (and) avoid hidden reefs and dangerous shoals," explained Wang Yi.
To show that China is willing to cooperate with the U.S. once more, Wang Yi also confirmed that giant pandas will soon return to the U.S.
Read Also: 'Bring Ya Ya Home': US Panda's Return to China Ignites Nationalist Sentiment
Pandas Could Return to US
Female giant panda Xiang Xiang yawns ahead of her return to China, at Ueno Zoological Park in Tokyo on February 19, 2023.
In 2023, a total of 17 giant pandas from across the world returned to China. Among these were the giant pandas in Washington, D.C., and Memphis, Tennessee.
When China pulled out its giant panda bears, many people, especially officials, were concerned as they believed Beijing could stop lending these animals to American zoos.
They fear this possibility because the tension between the two superpower nations is intensifying. But, in November 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited San Francisco and told his American audiences that he was considering the return of giant pandas to the United States.
But he was specifically referring to California. This January, Wang Yo backed the recent statement of Xi Jinping, saying that preparations are ready for a giant panda return to California before the year ends.
However, he didn't clarify how many or if they would allow other U.S. states to have these giant bears.
Related Article: UK: Giant Pandas of Edinburgh Zoo Returning Back to China After 12-Year Agreement
