A pair of bears arrive at the National Zoo

On Monday the couple have left their home at the Dujiangyan Panda Base of the Conservation and Research Center in China's southwestern Sichuan province, the China Wildlife Conservation Association said in a statement.

“The pandas' flight will be provided with essentials such as steamed corn buns, bamboo shoots, carrots, water and medicines to meet their needs,” the statement said.

“The US side has sent three experienced zookeepers and veterinarians to Sichuan in advance to help care for the pandas and familiarize themselves with their situation, and they will accompany the pandas on the trip,” it said.

“We believe this new phase of cooperation between the US and China in giant panda conservation will build on the existing strong partnership and achieve even greater achievements in areas such as prevention and treatment of severe panda diseases, epidemic prevention, scientific exchanges and the contribution will be made to “Panda protection in the wild and the construction of the Giant Panda National Park,” it continued.

There have been no pandas at the national zoo since last November, when adult pandas Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their three-year-old male cub, Xiao Qi Ji, returned to China after attempts to extend their loan agreement failed. The bears have long been one of the zoo's main attractions; the adult pandas have been there since 2000.

During a visit to the US that same month, Chinese President Xi Jinping – who, along with President Joe Biden, is working to improve US-China relations after they hit their lowest point in decades – suggested that there may be more pandas be on the way.

In June, Yun Chuan and Xin Bao became the first pandas to arrive in the United States in decades. The pair made their public debut at the San Diego Zoo in August.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed also said the city's zoo is preparing to welcome its first pair of pandas from China.

The arrival of the National Zoo's two new bears was announced in May in a video featuring First Lady Jill Biden. As with the San Diego bears, the departure of Bao Li and Qing Bao from China was kept secret for security reasons, including by “poisonous” panda fans who oppose sending the bears abroad out of nationalism or fear of mistreatment .

They left China shortly after the return of four pandas from Zoo Atlanta over the weekend: Lun Lun, Yang Yang and their twin cubs Ya Lun and Xi Lun.

Beijing gifted the US its first two pandas in 1972 following President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China, considered a milestone in US-China relations. The bears are endemic to China and are considered a national symbol.

China leases at least 60 pandas to more than 20 countries and uses the money for conservation efforts. However, the costs can sometimes be too high, with a zoo in Finland announcing last month that it would be returning its two bears to China early due to a lack of funding.

Although they are no longer considered endangered, only about 1,800 pandas remain in the wild today, according to the World Wildlife Foundation.