They’re cute, cuddly and coming to America: China’s newest panda diplomats headed for Washington

Dujiangyan, China CNN —

Two giant pandas are on their way from China to Washington’s National Zoo, kicking off a much-awaited return of the beloved bears to the American capital.

Bao Li and Qing Bao, both three years old, left the giant panda research base in Dujiangyan, a city near the bears’ native habitat in the mountains of southwest China, on Monday night local time. They will board a specially charted FedEx Boeing 777 cargo jet dubbed the “Panda Express” and take off for Washington in a few hours.

The black and white bears are the first pair China has sent to Washington in 24 years. The previous pair returned to China with their cub last November, triggering a flood of tearful goodbyes at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Over the past 11 months, the zoo’s panda exhibit, which used to draw millions of visitors, has been left empty. Now, having just completed a million-dollar revamp, it’s counting down the hours to welcome the new tenants.

China’s renewed panda diplomacy with the US is a rare bright spot in the fraught relations between the world’s two superpower rivals – which have been marred by tensions over trade, technology, geopolitics and more.

A sendoff ceremony was held earlier on Monday at a hotel near the base, joined by a delegation from the Washington zoo who came to the Chinese province of Sichuan to help with the transition.

Speaking at the ceremony, the zoo’s director, Brandie Smith, hailed half a century of collaboration between the Smithsonian and its Chinese partners on panda conservation, since the first pair arrived from China in 1972.

“These beloved black and white bears are icons in Washington DC, and adored around the world,” Smith said. “Our team and legions of fans look forward to