They were given a celebratory farewell at the Chinese base, attended by American and Chinese dignitaries, including performances and a gift exchange, according to a statement from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. China loans pandas to more than 20 countries under a program often referred to as “panda diplomacy.” Its panda loans with Washington stretch back to 1972 – though the number of loans have decreased in recent years as US-China relations have worsened. The San Diego Zoo, one of the world’s most renowned, was the first American institution to carry out cooperative research on giant pandas with China. Yun Chuan’s mother, Zhen Zhen, was born at San Diego Zoo in 2007 to parents Bai Yun and Gao Gao, according to a press release issued by San Diego Zoo in April. Grandmother Bai Yun was born in China in 1991, and arrived at the San Diego Zoo in 1996.

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Persons: Yun Chuan, Xin Bao, Xi Jinping, –, Yun Chuan’s, Zhen Zhen, Bai Yun, Gao Gao, Grandmother Bai Yun, Xi, Joe Biden, “ Organizations: CNN, Diego’s, China Conservation and Research Center, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Washington, World Wildlife Fund, Smithsonian National Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Economic Cooperation Locations: China, California, Beijing, United States, Sichuan province, Ya'an City, Sichuan, Washington ,, Asia, San Francisco