Title: The Giant Pandas Are Back at the National Zoo. But Are U.S.-China Relations Any Different?

This week, the National Zoo welcomed two new yet familiar faces to Washington, DC: giant pandas. 

The return of the pandas follows the departure of three pandas who were sent back to China in 2023 following an expired previous agreement and frosty U.S.-China relations.

The two new pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao, will live in the National Zoo as part of a 10-year agreement with China, which owns every panda in the world.

But does this return signal a shift in bilateral relations?

Last year, we asked Ambassador Barbara K. Bodine, distinguished professor in the practice of diplomacy and director of Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, about the state of U.S.-China relations and the history of animal diplomacy after the trio left.

This year, we asked what, if anything, has changed that would warrant the return of pandas to DC — and whether we may be reading too much into the latest episode of panda diplomacy.

Ask a Professor: Barbara Bodine on the Return of the Pandas and U.S.-China Relations

The giant pandas are back in DC. Does this signal any meaningful shift in U.S.-China relations? Should we be reading into this?

Panda deliveries can signal a positive shift in relations between China and another country. Studies have been published showing that panda deliveries have been timed around all sorts of deals between China and other countries, from diplomatic recognition to uranium trade agreements. 

As for this delivery — we shouldn’t read much into it. Bilateral relations have been tense since well before the pandas’ last departure in October 2023. Absent a major announcement — highly unlikely in an election year — we can only infer that China continues to use pandas as a tool for cultural diplomacy. 

It seemed unlikely last year that the pandas would return. What’s changed? Did the return of the pandas come with any strings attached?

This is probably something a little more mundane: China is, to its credit, serious about panda conservation. Though pandas are no longer endangered, they are still classified as “vulnerable” by the World Wildlife Fund (largely thanks to Chinese efforts). Conservation of large animals is expensive. On top of upkeep costs, the Smithsonian Zoo pays $1 million a year to the China Wildlife Conservation Association for housing DC’s furry friends. 

Several countries, most recently Finland, have had to return pandas to China due to the high cost of their upkeep. As a well-endowed organization, the Smithsonian doesn’t face quite the same constraints as smaller zoos in smaller countries. As a reliable partner in conservation, we have just made a major commitment by taking in these pandas.

What are you monitoring in the coming months that could affect U.S.-China relations?

It’s October in an election year, which sucks up all the media oxygen. Trump wants to double and triple down on his tariff policies this time around. Harris is also hawkish on China, though she would likely continue the Biden policy of light-touch tariffs alongside heavy import and export controls on high-value and military-related technologies — think semiconductors and their components.

Chinese leaders will be watching the election unfold just as closely as the rest of the world.

What was your personal reaction to this news of a return?

I cannot help but note the power of cultural diplomacy and admire China’s dedication to pandas as a symbol. The Washington Post is awash with pictures of happy children dressed in costumes, no doubt begging their parents for a trip to the zoo; shops and businesses around the zoo have stocked up on panda-related merchandise; and the animal-crazy corners of the internet are jubilant. Cultural diplomacy is a good thing, but it is still government policy with an agenda behind it.