Panda diplomacy makes a comeback with new duo set to debut in San Diego

Amna Nawaz:

The first pandas to arrive in the U.S. in more than two decades are about to make their big debut in California. It's the latest development in what's known as panda diplomacy.

And, as William Brangham reports, the exchanges between China and the U.S. are not always black and white.

William Brangham:

It's a diplomatic journey that hasn't happened in over 20 years, two young pandas, 4-year-old male Yun Chuan and 3-year-old female Xin Bao, flew 7,000 miles from China's mountainous Sichuan Province all the way to the San Diego Zoo.

Few foreign dignitaries get such an enthusiastic welcome.

Woman:

We know the pandas are here and it's pandamonium.

Woman:

Panda season.

William Brangham:

While these two are expected to draw big crowds, they're initially being kept out of sight for a few weeks to let them acclimate. Apart from Atlanta, San Diego is now the only zoo in the nation with these precious bears.

San Diego Zoo received its first pair from China in 1996. Over the years, six more were born at the zoo, but under the agreement with China, all were returned to their native country in 2019.

Dr. Megan Owen, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance:

We have learned so much about giant pandas over the last five years.

William Brangham:

Dr. Megan Owen is the vice president of wildlife conservation science at the San Diego Zoo.

Dr. Megan Owen:

The size of the habitat is, I believe it's quadrupled, maybe even quintupled. It's enormous. We integrated studies of behavior, physiology and health to ensure we knew all we needed to know about their well-being.

But San Diego isn't the only zoo prepping for pandas.

Jill Biden, Wife of Joe Biden: It's official. The pandas are coming back to D.C.

William Brangham:

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C., will welcome a new pair by the end of this year.

Brandie Smith, Smithsonian National Zoo:

We know that there are going to be millions of people who want to see the pandas the day they're here. The entire planet is watching and there's no margin for error.

William Brangham:

National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute director Brandie Smith.

Brandie Smith:

The fact that the conversations went back quickly, that's the surprise. That was the exciting part for us. We have already sent some folks to China to meet our new pandas so they can start to get to know them. We're having regular conversations with our colleagues in China. We find out more about them. They're such individuals.

William Brangham:

Native just to China, giant pandas only travel abroad with Beijing's approval. Chinese panda diplomacy started in the 1940s, a way for China to bolster its image with the wider world and to help conservation efforts.

In the 1970s, two pandas were sent to the U.S. during the Nixon administration and they drew huge crowds to Washington's National Zoo. The practice has continued ever since and with several other nations as well.

The exchanges aren't always harmonious. In 2010, when President Barack Obama met with the Dalai Lama, who Beijing views as a Tibetan separatist, China recalled two pandas.

Susan Brownell, University of Missouri-St. Louis: When pandas are withdrawn, China doesn't say, this is a symbol of bad relations. Some other excuse is always given.

William Brangham:

Susan Brownell is distinguished professor of anthropology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Susan Brownell:

There's been this whole furor about pandas being sent back to China and not renewed as a symbol of the deterioration in U.S.-China relations.

William Brangham:

Last year, amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, the National Zoo had to say farewell to its three bears. The Memphis Zoo sent home its last bear, Ya Ya. And Atlanta's four pandas are headed back in the fall.

With no new returnees on the horizon, it seemed the U.S. would be panda-free. But then last year, when President Biden and President Xi Jinping met in California, a breakthrough.

Xi Jinping, Chinese President (through interpreter):

Pandas have long been envoys of friendship between China and the U.S. We are ready to continue our cooperation on panda protection with the U.S.

William Brangham:

In addition to the duos in San Diego and those coming to D.C., next year, two more will head to San Francisco. But with less than 2,000 giant pandas in the wild, there are questions about whether captivity is humane.

Ginette Hemley is senior vice president of wildlife conservation at the World Wildlife Fund.

Ginette Hemley, World Wildlife Fund:

Populations in the wild are getting isolated, and so that makes it difficult for pandas to breed, and that's why their numbers are recovering so slowly.

William Brangham:

Unlike with other vulnerable species, Hemley says, conservation agreements helped upgrade giant pandas from endangered to just vulnerable.

But breeding the bears is incredibly difficult. Despite their playful, gregarious reputation, the bears are naturally solitary. Females are only fertile once a year and only for about a day to a day-and-a-half.

Ginette Hemley:

Efforts to breed pandas have improved. There are more and more that are being bred in captivity. These long-term programs are required to provide funding directly to conservation of pandas in the wild. So, in that sense, the panda is unique.

William Brangham:

This new duo in San Diego marks the first time in over two decades that Beijing agreed to send new bears to the U.S., and they're no longer considered gifts. The bears are officially leased, and they are not cheap. Each pair costs around a million dollars every year.

Dan Ashe is the president and CEO of the Association Of Zoos And Aquariums.

Dan Ashe, President and CEO, Association Of Zoos and Aquariums: It's expensive for them.

And so you think that, yes, it brings a lot of visitors, but it brings a lot of responsibility. You have to have specialized staff. It's an honor, because what it does is it shows that these are facilities that are really at the top of their game.

William Brangham:

In San Diego, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao will be officially unveiled to the public this week, getting Americans once again fired up for some much-needed pandamonium.

For the PBS "News Hour," I'm William Brangham.