Three giant pandas from the National Zoo in Washington will return to China in DecemberThe three-year agreement with the China Wildlife Authority expires that month. Not just the US capital, but… So did three other zoos in the United States – Atlanta, San Diego and MemphisThe three have either delivered their pandas or will return them to China by the end of next year.
Although both sides deny that politics plays a role, China has long used “panda diplomacy” to win support, reward friends and punish adversaries – He writes the paper. The question here is how much is the loss of the last American pandas related to the fact that relations between the United States and China have reached their lowest levels historically? naturally That year, the United States received its first pandasAfter President Richard Nixon normalized relations in 1972, many other countries followed suit.
Of course, there are plenty of non-political reasons why the panda now calls “home.” One explanation is that the pandas that leave American zoos all reach the age at which they will return home anyway. The departure of some pandas has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has also slowed down China’s leasing system. The article mentions that as well There are no zoos anywhere in the world that have full custody of pandas. instead of They rent itand contracted to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to China annually.
It is unclear what will happen to the Washington Zoo. A National Zoo spokesman did not want to comment on whether new negotiations were underway. But a person close to the Biden administration said the United States planned to discuss the issue with China, and China’s embassy in Washington left open the possibility of a happy outcome.
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