California Gov. Newsom welcomed a new giant panda pair to San Diego Zoo on Thursday, in the latest episode of panda diplomacy between the U.S. and China.
“Welcoming these national treasures to the San Diego Zoo is a proud moment for California that reflects our strong foundation of partnership with China on a host of issues, from climate action to economic development,” Newsom said in a news release. ”Working together with our international partners to protect this iconic wildlife species, we can achieve remarkable outcomes for conservation and cultural exchange — benefiting our communities and the planet.”
Newsom also met with Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng.
The new pandas — 5-year-old male Yun Chuan（云川）and 4-year-old female Xin Bao（鑫宝) — arrive at a fraught time in U.S.-China relations, with the U.S. in April warning China not to support Russia’s war in Ukraine and less than a month later announcing new tariffs on Chinese imports, alleging unfair trade.
And in tense times especially, China’s practice of loaning pandas to zoos overseas is often called panda diplomacy, or a way for China to exercise soft (cuddly) power.
Here’s how Voice of America’s Chinese-language service covered the panda news:
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