Great news, D.C. panda fans — the lovable, bamboo-eating Chinese black-and-white bears are returning to the Smithsonian National Zoo. A new pair of pandas are set to arrive by the end of the year.

The city’s most recent group of pandas, father Tian Tian, 26, mother Mei Xiang, 25, and 3-year-old male Xiao Qi Ji, left D.C. and were sent back to China in November. Some took their departure as a barometer of plunging relations between Beijing and Washington, but the departure left the city’s legion of panda lovers bereft.

Now, a new breeding pair, male Bao Li, 2, and female Qing Bao, 2, are being sent to the D.C. zoo later this year. Bao Li, the Smithsonian said, is the grandchild of Tian Tian and Mei Xiang. Both pandas hail from China’s Sichuan province, which hosts both natural panda habitat and Chinese state-run panda enclosures.

“We’re thrilled to announce the next chapter of our breeding and conservation partnership begins by welcoming two new bears, including a descendant of our beloved panda family, to Washington, D.C.,” National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute John and Adrienne Mars Director Brandie Smith said in a statement.

The National Zoo has been involved in panda breeding and conservation for over 50 years. A new agreement between Ms. Smith and China Wildlife Conservation Association Secretary General Wu Minglu will see the program continue through 2034. 

Like other D.C. pandas, Bao Li and Qing Bao will be quarantined for 30 days upon arrival, and then acclimated to their new zoo habitat before finally being introduced to the viewing public.

China’s official press had little to say about the move so far, offering only terse dispatches citing the U.S. announcement. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in November at an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco seeking to ease bilateral frictions.

Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that the new panda agreement was “a very good sign” for U.S.-China relations

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.