China plans to send San Diego Zoo more pandas this year, reigniting its panda diplomacy

China is planning to send a new pair of giant pandas to the San Diego Zoo after nearly all the iconic bears in the U.S. were returned to the Asian country in recent years. Megan Owen of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says the zoo has been working with China and expects to get a pair by summer's end if the permits are approved. The black-and-white bears have long been the symbol of friendship between U.S. and China, but only four remained in the U.S. as relations began to cool between the two nations. In November, Chinese President Xi Jinping raised hopes that California might get more pandas.