China will send two young giant pandas to Washington, the National Zoo said on May 29, months after the zoo returned three of the bears amid heightened tensions between the two global superpowers.The announcement follows increased engagement between Washington and Beijing that has put ties on a steadier footing since relations hit historic lows last year. China’s ambassador to the United States Xie Feng told Reuters on Wednesday that the new panda cooperation agreement was “a very good sign” for U.S.-China relations.The Smithsonian’s National Zoo said in a statement that it will welcome the pair of pandas by the end of the year. Bao Li is a two-year-old male. His mother was born at the institute in 2013 and his grandparents Tian and Mei Xiang lived at National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute from 2000 to 2023. Qing Bao is a two-year-old female born to Qing Qing and her mother Jia Mei.Beijing presented two giant pandas as gifts to the U.S. in 1972 after President Richard Nixon’s historic Cold War visit to the country.