Friday's debut of new pandas at the National Zoo in D.C. is the latest chapter in a long tale of "panda diplomacy" between China and the rest of the world.

Washington, D.C.'s panda drought will end Friday when giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao make their public debut at the National Zoo.

Bao Li (BOW-lee) is a 3-year-old male. His mother Bao Bao was born at the institute in 2013 and his grandparents Tian Tian and Mei Xiang lived at National Zoo from 2000 to 2023. Qing Bao (ching-BOW) is a 3-year-old female born to father Qing Qing and mother Jia Mei.

For the first time since the arrival of pandas Qing Bao and Bao Li, the Smithsonian National Zoo opened its panda exhibit to the public on Friday.

Giant pandas have returned for public viewing at the Washington, D.C., National Zoo after visitors were temporarily deprived of them for months. China sent the two 3-year-old panda bears, Qing Bao and Bao Li, to the United States in October. The bears have been acclimating to their new home in Washington but will be open to the public Friday.

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were seen arriving at the Commander-In-Chief Inaugural Ball on Monday evening. The White House is touting a "historic" first day in office for President Donald Trump, saying that he enacted 42 executive orders, memoranda and proclamation actions.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, as Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, meets with representatives of the U.S. business community in Washington, D.C., the Unit

The National Zoo announced pandas have returned to Washington and made their public debut Friday. “The wait is OVER: the giant pandas have officially made their public debut at the Smithsonian’s

If Americans want their freedom and quality of life to continue well into this century, the status quo with China will not suffice.

Bao Li and Qing Bao, two giant pandas, are making their public debut at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute on Jan. 24, 2025.

Warren P. Strobel is a reporter at The Washington Post covering U.S. intelligence. He has written about U.S. security policies under seven presidents, and reported from Europe, the Middle East and West Africa.

Multiple people are dead after a military helicopter collided with a passenger plane flying in from Wichita, Kansas