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WASHINGTON: The last Chinese giant pandas from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington DC have returned to their homeland, marking the end of an era that spanned 51 years.
Pandas Mei Xiang, Tian Tian and their cub Xiao Qi Ji left the National Zoo on Wednesday (Nov 8).
The pandas’ departure means Zoo Atlanta is the only place left in the US to see giant pandas from China, though their loan contracts are expiring next year.
The iconic creatures have long been used by China as a tool of diplomacy and a symbolic gesture of goodwill and friendship. The practice took hold from the 1950s, when China was seeking to position itself in the modern world.
While the departure of the bears from the US capital is due to the expiration of the lending contract, it comes at a time when diplomatic ties between the two countries are at their lowest in decades.
US President Joe Biden is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in person for just the second time in three years, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in San Francisco later this month.
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