San Diego, California - Two new giant pandas are making their way to San Diego Zoo after the Chinese government agreed to "loan" them five years after an agreement expired!

San Diego Zoo issued a statement to the press announcing that they had visited and met the two pandas, a five- and four-year-old, back in April. The pair are expected to arrive in the US over the summer.

"It was an honor to see Yun Chuan and Xin Bao in person and meet our conservation partners caring for them at the Wolong and Bifengxia Panda Bases," said San Diego Zoo's Wildlife Alliance vice president of conservation science, Dr. Megan Owen, at the time.

China has been lending pandas to US zoos since the 1970s, in an agreement with the Smithsonian National Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Atlanta Zoo, and Memphis Zoo. But after the agreement expired in 2019, all pandas were withdrawn for San Diego.

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Now, two lucky animals are being prepared for their journey back to San Diego – the first such trip in decades!

Moving a panda more than 7,000 miles is a very delicate and difficult thing to do, as they are vulnerable animals that struggle with stresses and changes in their environment.

It generally takes a panda about a month to adjust to the new climate of a country, following a long trip like the one Yun Chuan and Xin Bao are about to undertake.

As one expert told NBC, "Everything about a panda's environment needs to be assessed and considered."

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The goal is for the pair to mate – a notoriously difficult process.

"Meeting them in person was so special," said Dr. Megan Owen said about the two pandas. "It’s inspiring as people from around the world come together to conserve, protect, and care for these special bears, and we can’t wait to welcome them to San Diego."

This latest batch of "panda diplomacy" comes at a time when tensions between the two nations are at an escalating high, as troubles swell over the South China Sea, and war worries mount around Taiwan.