WASHINGTON, June 27. /TASS/. China will ship two giant pandas to the United States for the first time in 21 years, reviving the practice of panda diplomacy, the press service of the San Diego Zoo, which will host the animals, said.

Four-year-old male Yun Chuan and Xin Bao, a female who will turn four in July, will be brought to San Diego after an official farewell ceremony in China. Zoo officials will restrict visitor access to the animals for several weeks after their arrival. According to San Diego Wildlife Alliance CEO Paul Baribeau, the shipment of the pandas is a sign of growing cooperation between the US and China in wildlife conservation.

According to China Daily, Chinese experts will spend about three months with the pandas to help the animals adapt to their new environment.

The giant panda is considered an unofficial symbol of China and is protected by the state. Sending these animals to different countries has become a tradition, which is often called panda diplomacy. Washington received the first pandas from Beijing in 1972 after President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China, which marked the warming of relations between the countries.